Paris, France (BBN)-An EgyptAir flight bound for Cairo from Paris has disappeared from the radar, the airline announced on its Twitter account late Wednesday.
Flight No. MS804 departed Paris at 11:09pm Central European Summer Time and lost contact with the tracking system at 2:45am Cairo time, reports The Washington Post.
It was flying at a height of 37,000 feet when it disappeared 10 miles into Egyptian airspace.
Contact was lost 10 minutes before the plane’s scheduled landing.
EgyptAir said it has reached out to the relevant authorities, and search and rescue teams have been dispatched.
The plane is an Airbus A320, made in 2003.
A total of 66 people were on board: two infants, one child, seven crew members and three security personnel.
Speaking to CNN, EgyptAir Holdings Vice Chairman Ahmed Adel said the crew is very experienced, and there were no problems leaving Paris.
The pilot has more than 6,000 hours of flight experience, including more than 2,000 hours flying the same model aircraft, EgyptAir said.
The co-pilot has nearly 3,000 flying hours.
Adel noted that the potential location of the search area is between 30 to 40 miles north of the Egyptian shore.
In March, an EgyptAir flight from Alexandria was hijacked and diverted to Cyprus.
All hostages were released after the suspect, 59-year-old Seif Eldin Mustafa, surrendered.
A Russian plane crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula last October, killing all 224 people aboard after a bomb caused it to explode in midair.
An affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
BBN/SK/AD