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Flight MS804: Spotlight on possible security breach at Paris
Concerns are being raised about a possible security breach at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in connection with the missing Egyptair Flight MS804.
It comes as authorities acknowledge that the cause of the disappearance of the plane over the Mediterranean Sea is looking more likely an act of terrorism than a technical fault.
If an explosive device was found to be the cause, it would be the first time since the Lockerbie disaster in 1988 that a bomb had been planted on a passenger plane departing from a European airport.
With security measures at Paris CDG regarded to be among the toughest in the world, particularly following the Paris and Brussels terror attacks, it would raise major fears about the safety of global air travel.
The Airbus A320, carrying 66 passengers and crew, was flying from Paris to Cairo when it lost contact with radar at 37,000ft over the eastern Mediterranean.
EgyptAir said passengers on board included 30 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, one Briton, as well as others from Belgium, Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Chad and Portugal.
No distress call was made, according to earlier reports.
"A technical problem, a fire or a failed motor do not cause an instant accident and the team has time to react. The team said nothing, they did not react, so it was very probably a brutal event and we can certainly think about an attack," said Jean-Paul Troadec, the former head of the French aviation investigation agency.
Egyptian civil aviation minister Sherif Fathi agreed, saying a terror attack was a ‘stronger’ possibility.
Greek defence minister Panos Kammenos said the plane reportedly went down after making ‘sudden swerves’ in mid-air.
He said the aircraft had turned 90 degrees to the left and 360 degrees to the right before plunging.
Unconfirmed reports from Egypt’s state television this morning say Egyptian military search teams have found debris in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Alexandria.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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