Folks,
here in Switzerland, we have gotten some rather disturbing reports about Flash Air.
One of their planes was checked in a routine inspection by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation. The result was banning Flash Air not only from landing in Switzerland but also from overflights. In my experience, this is a very drastic step and would not be done without reason.
Press reports, to be taken with caution, but I personally believe them accurate in this case, list a few of the deficiencies:
-"several instruments in the flight deck being unserviceable"
- Flight Crew (Cockpit) Oxygen Masks missing
- Emergency Oxygen Bottles missing
- Emergency Exit lights unservicable
- Quite a few life jackets missing
- Passenger Seatbelts partly unserviceable or broken.
These were the ones seen from the cabin side.
Again, I have never heard of any airline being banned from Switzerland, I may be wrong here, but this is a quite good indication that this companies safety standards left a lot to be desired.
In that context, and it may be safely assumed that the Egyptian Authorities were informed about this ban, it is not so much off for them to suspect an accident first and foremost. The Question of course remains why a company like that is allowed to operate?
Best regards
AN2 Driver