Air France crash crew praised

2005-08-03 16:32

Roissy - Air France chairperson Jean-Cyril Spinetta has praised the crew of a jet that crash-landed in Canada and burst into flames, but, remarkably, claimed no victims.

He said on Wednesday at Air France headquarters: "I want to pay hommage to the crew. I don't know if we should speak of a miracle... but, above all, the professionalism of the crew."

All 309 people aboard Air France Flight 358 evacuated the plane moments before it burst into flames after skidding off a runway at Lester B Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Tuesday. About 43 passengers had minor injuries.

Spinetta said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, but promised that Air France would be "totally transparent" in follow-up inquiries.

The co-pilot said the plane had enough fuel and that the runway was long enough, he added.

First A340 crash in 13 years

Spinetta was leaving later on Wednesday for Toronto with 25 Air France officials, including a medical team and a psychologist.

The crash was the first for an Airbus A340 in their 13 years of commercial service.

Spinetta said Air France had bought the aircraft new on September 7 1999. It was last serviced on July 15, and had logged 28 418 flight-hours and 3 711 takeoffs and landings, he said.

French newspapers hailed the happy ending of the crash.

"The miracle of the Air France Airbus," read the front page of Le Parisien daily.

- AP