Boeing investige crash

2004-01-04 07:26

Washington - An investigator of the Boeing company is en route to Egypt to look into the cause of the crash of a Flash Airlines Boeing 737 charter jet that plunged into the Red Sea off the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday.

All 148 people on board, mostly French nationals, were killed.

Flash Airlines is a Cairo-based air charter company.

Both French and Egyptian officials said there was no reason to suspect foul play in the crash.

According to Boeing, the airplane had been delivered to Flash Airlines in October 1992 and accumulated 17 973 flight hours.

Meanwhile a report from Bern says Egypt's Flash Airlines have been banned from landing in or flying over Switzerland for more than a year.

Shortcomings

The Swiss news agency Sda reported that the Swiss federal civil aviation authority BAZL found in an inspection in October 202 that Flash Airlines had serious shortcomings.

Celestine Perissinotto, a spokesperson for BAZL, said the airline would not be allowed to land in Switzerland or fly over the Alpine country until the problems were resolved.

Both Flash Airlines and Egyptian officials had been given details of the safety shortcomings cited by BAZL, Perissinotto said.

Since the suspension, Flash Airlines had not sought permission to enter Switzerland.

- SAPA