EgyptAir flight MS804 missing

May 19, 2016 Naresh Sagar

A well-placed source at EgyptAir said on Thursday 19/5/2016 that 56 passengers, including 30 Egyptians, 15 French and two Iraqis, and 10 crew and plane security members were on board the missing plane.Total 56 passengers; 30 Egyptians, 15 French on board missing plane.Other passengers are from Britain, Belgium, Canada, Portugal, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan and Chad, the source added.

EgyptAir said that it secured a number of doctors and translators to help the families of those who were on board the missing plane.

The relatives of passengers can call an EgyptAir hotline on 0800 7777 0000 from any landline in Egypt, the source added.

Radar lost contact with Flight MS804 at 2:45 Cairo local time while it was at an altitude of 37,000 feet. It was scheduled to arrive at Cairo Airport at 3:15 am Cairo local time.

The flight took off from Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday 23:09 Paris local time then it disappeared from radar after entering the Egyptian airspace.

EgyptAir said that the captain had recorded more than 6,000 flying hours, including 2,000 hours in that model.

EgyptAir flight MS804 which went missing on early Thursday before reaching Egypt, made abrupt swerves and lost altitude within Egyptian airspace, Greece’s Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said here.

“The plane was southeast of Kassos and Karpathos islands. It had entered Egyptian airspace when it turned 90 degrees to the left and then 360 degrees to the right,” Kammenos told an emergency press briefing broadcast on national television.

According to the Greek official the flight MS804 suddenly descended from 37,000 feet to 15,000 feet and then 10,000 feet while it was about 10 miles within the Egyptian airspace.

Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority (YPA) had announced shortly earlier that Greek authorities did not receive a distress call.

The Airbus A320, which was carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo, has disappeared from Egyptian air space after flying over the Greek airspace.

The flight MS804 entered the Greek airspace at 02:24 a.m. local time (0024 GMT), according to the press statement.

During the last contact of the plane’s pilot with Greek air traffic controllers at 02:48 a.m. local time while the Airbus was flying over the Greek island of Kos no problems were reported.

“The pilot was in a good mood and thanked in Greek,” according to the statement.

The aircraft exited the Greek airspace, before suddenly disappearing from radar screens within Egyptian airspace at 03:29 a.m. according to the Greek authorities.

Athens attempted to contact the plane at 03:27 a.m. for the typical transfer of communication to Egyptian air traffic controllers, but there was no response, according to the official announcement.

The Greek Civil Aviation Authority, as well as Greece’s Defense Ministry, have not confirmed local media reports that the captain of a passenger vessel reported a flash in the sky about 130 nautical miles off the Greek island of Karpathos, Greek national news agency ANA-MPA stressed.

Hellenic Navy vessels and aircraft are assisting in the search operations after being alerted at 03:45 a.m., according to a Defense Ministry announcement.

“Greece is by Egypt’s side, Hellenic Air Force and Navy assist the search and rescue mission by all means,” tweeted the Greek Foreign Ministry.Media agencies