Reckage was found in the Red Sea 9 miles south of the resort Sharm el Sheikh where they departed from. The Aircraft dissapeared from Radar at 04:44 according to officials in Cairo.
The aircraft bound for France with mainly french tourists was being opperated by a Flash Air 737. There was about 135pax and 6 crew members onboard.
CAIRO, Egypt Jan. 3 — A charter airliner with 135 people aboard most of them French tourists crashed into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff early Saturday from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, according to airport officials in Cairo. No survivors were immediately found.
The Boeing 737 jet took off shortly before 5 a.m. (10 p.m. EST) and quickly disappeared from radar about seven miles south of the airport, airport officials said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
The officials said 127 passengers and eight crew members were aboard the jet operated by the private Egyptian company Air Flash en route to Cairo, and most were French tourists.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene but found no immediate survivors.
An initial statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation called the crash an "accident" and said crews were searching for the wreckage. It gave no ideas on the possible cause.
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Flash Airlines Boeing 737-300 fleet with 148 seats configuration all Y (Economy) class in addition to the operating cabin crew, 25 rows with 29 inch / with reclining seats and convenient table meals with cup holders, TV screen & headphones.
Flash Airlines fleet Boeing 737-300, is equipped with powerful CFM 56-3C1 engines, with 22000 ibs / thrusts and the up-to-date computerized navigational instruments such as WAS II and GPS; the take-off weight is 63276 KGs is pressurized, to ceiling is 37000 feet, and the average cruising speed is Mach 0.74.
Flash Airlines qualified pilots have a minimum of 5000 hours each, and long experience of flying domestically and internationally.
Flash Airlines qualified Engineers are certified by the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authorities to perform light maintenance up to 8A checks for our fleet.
Flash Airlines both aircrafts are insured for legal and third party liability and passenger, liability by El Shark Insurance Company for an amount of 550 Millions USD for each aircraft.
Head Office
166 B El Hegaz St. Heliopolis. Cairo, Egypt.
Tel: (20-12) 3903254.
Fax: (20-2) 6240641.
SITA: CAIHPCR
There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash but an official source at the Civil Aviation Ministry said the plane appeared to have had an accident.
