Cairo, May 19 (IANS): An EgyptAir flight with 66 people on board heading from Paris to Cairo disappeared from the radar on Thursday, the airline said.
Earlier reports put the total number of people on board at 69.
The aircraft was flying at 37,000ft when it went missing over the eastern Mediterranean, about 10 miles (16 km) into the Egyptian air space.
In a statement on its website, Charles de Gaulle Airport said the aircraft left Paris at 11.09 p.m. and was expected to land in Cairo at 3.15 a.m, CNN reported.
An airline official said the plane lost contact with the radar at 2.45 a.m.
The Airbus A320 had 56 passengers, including two infants, and 10 crew members, said Captain Ahmed Adel, vice chairman of EgyptAir.
The plane's captain had done 6,000 flying hours while the first officer had 4,000, Adel said.
The Egyptian navy is conducting search and rescue operations in the area.
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