The downing of a Russian jetliner in Egypt apparently with a rudimentary explosive has put the spotlight on bolstering basic airport security after a period in which concerns have focused on threats from more sophisticated designs, senior British security officials said on Wednesday.

Russian officials believe a bomb was smuggled onto a Metrojet plane at Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh airport, which caused the plane to break apart in flight over Sinai. The Oct. 31 attack that killed all 224 people onboard has been linked to an Islamic State affiliate.

“This attack puts the spotlight back on basic security,” said Kash Chaudry, head of international strategy and engagement for aviation security at the U.K. Department for Transport. That includes fundamental application of rules on cargo and staff screening, he said.

The device used appears to be the kind of basic design authorities have been aware of for years, including since the 1988 bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people.

British government security officials believe global airport security standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations’ civil airline oversight body, should have allowed the latest explosive device to be detected. Western officials are uncertain whether the bomb was smuggled onboard by an insider at the airport or whether lax security allowed an outsider to place the device on the plane.

Mr. Chaudry said that “all the indications are it probably was a simple timer device” used to detonate the explosive.

The U.K., in the wake of the downing, is undertaking security assessments at airports around the world. The goal is to insure that airports meet global standards, Mr. Chaudry said at a transport security forum in London.

An audit in 2012 by ICAO found that 30% of countries failed to meet basic standards, said Andrew McClumpha, an aviation-security consultant.

Middle East and North African hubs are the focus in the audits in the initial two months, the British government has said, and aviation-security policy also would be reviewed. Mr. Chaudry said the audits would be a continuing process.

The British government also said it plans to intensify dialogue with others to bolster security.

“We need to do more with partners and international regional organizations to continue to drive up standards,” said John Hayes, Britain’s minister for security and counterterrorism at the event. “It is clear we will not be successful if we work in isolation,” he said, after the U.K. announced plans to double spending on aviation security in the next five years and add more inspectors for audits.

Even as the Russian jetliner attack highlights vulnerabilities in the implementation of security requirements, regulators remain concerned about more complex bomb designs.

“We know terrorists will continue to design devices to evade detection and airport security checkpoints,” Mr. Chaudry said.

British government officials have said the use of nonmetallic explosives that are hard to detect by existing screening tools is one of their chief concerns.

Mr. Hayes said “the threat we face from terrorists and terrorists organizations is ever evolving, it is highly dynamic. Our response must not just match but outpace that dynamism.”

Author: Robert Wall for WSJ