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EgyptAir flight 804 from Paris to Cairo disappears from radar

Posted at 9:29 PM, May 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-19 00:31:58-04

By Faith Karimi and Hamdi Alkhshali

(CNN) — EgyptAir Flight 804 heading from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar with 66 people on board, the airline said.

The plane was flying at 37,000 feet when it disappeared shortly after entering Egyptian airspace, the airline tweeted.

The Airbus A320 had 56 passengers, including two infants, and 10 crew members, said Capt. Ahmed Adel, vice chairman of EgyptAir.

If it entered Egypt airspace and did not report in, that’s highly significant, CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo said.

“Since they were 10 miles into Egypt airspace, they should have reported in. If anything had been going on they would have reported at that time,” she said.

Conditions were clear and calm when the plane crossed over the Mediterranean, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.

In a statement on its website, Charles de Gaulle Airport said EgyptAir Flight 804 left Paris at 11:09 p.m. local time and was supposed to land in Cairo at 3.15 a.m. Thursday. Both the departure and arrival cities are in the same time zone.

The Egyptian navy is conducting search and rescue operations in the area, CNN’s Ian Lee said from Cairo.

The plane’s captain had 6,000 flying hours while the first officer had 4,000, Adel said.

The airline’s media center said it will provide more information as it becomes available.

CNN’s Euan McKirdy contributed to this report.