An EgyptAir plane, flight MS804, ‘disappeared from radar’ on a flight between France and Egypt just 10 miles after entering Egyptian airspace, confirmed EgyptAir.
The flight from Paris to Cairo was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members. The passengers included two infants and one child, said EgyptAir in a statement. An EgyptAir Civil Aviation Ministry official said that the airplane most likely crashed.
The nationalities included passengers from the following countries, announced EgyptAir: Egypt (30), France (15), Iraq (2), United Kingdom (1), Belgium (1), Kuwait (1), Saudi Arabia (1), Algeria (1) Sudan (1), Chad (1), Portugal (1), and Canada (1).
EgyptAir said the airplane disappeared at 2:30AM Cairo time, adding that a distress signal was received by the military two hours later at 4:26AM. The signal is likely an automated one which was not sent by the pilot.
Commenting on the airplane’s disappearance, French President Francois Hollande said “no theory can be ruled out”. The French President and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi had a telephone call following the incident.
According to a statement by EgyptAir, the plane disappeared from radar at 02:30AM Cairo time. The airplane was flying at 37,000 feet when it disappeared approximately 10 miles in Egyptian airspace. Flight Radar appears to show the airplane losing communication with radar tracking off the coast of Egypt.
The pilot of the aircraft had 6,275 hours of flight time, of which 2,101 were on the same model of aircraft, said EgyptAir. The co-pilot had recorded 2,766 hours of flight time. The aircraft was manufactured in 2003, added EgyptAir.
EgyptAir said it is in contact with concerned authorities and bodies, adding that inspection is underway by rescue teams. The weather at the time of the disappearance was clear and there were no distress calls made by the pilot, said an official to CNN and Sky News Arabia.
According to military sources, Egypt and Greece have deployed military aircraft in a search and rescue operation.
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