Aviation-safety experts are voicing concerns that Egypt may be mishandling debris collected from the downed EgyptAir plane, potentially compromising evidence that could help determine why the Airbus A320 crashed. Forensic and chemical analysis of aircraft wreckage can yield vital information for investigators to glean how and why a plane went down. Such findings are particularly crucial when investigators lack access to a plane’s flight recorders. Crash investigators are battling not just a lack of data, but also conflicting information about the last seconds of flight. Greek officials Thursday said the plane veered off course before its demise. Ehab Azmi, chairman of the Egyptian air-navigation service, Monday disputed that sequence, saying contact with the plane was lost abruptly while still at its cruising altitude. <br/>
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The EgyptAir jet which crashed in the Mediterranean Thursday sent a series of warnings indicating that smoke had been detected on board, shortly before it disappeared off radar screens. A spokesman for France's BEA air accident investigation agency said the signals did not indicate what caused the smoke or fire on board the plane. But they offered the first clues as to what unfolded in the moments before the crash. A fire on board would likely have generated multiple warning signals, while a sudden explosion may not have generated any - though officials stress that no scenario, including explosion, is being ruled out. Analysis of the debris and recovery of the plane's twin flight recorders are likely to be key to determining the cause of the crash - the third blow since October to Egypt's travel industry. <br/>
Austrian Airlines will cancel 150 flights in June because of a pilot shortage again this year. The carrier will wet-lease 3 aircraft during the European summer peak season to stabilise operations. The pilot shortage this year comes as the airline is transferring its Fokker 70/100 fleet to Embraer E195s in a fleet renewal program that requires pilot retraining. It is adding 17 former Lufthansa CityLine Embraer E195s to its fleet and is phasing out aging Fokker 70/100s. The airline recently took delivery of its fifth Embraer E195. “We are doing this to stabilise our operations. Also, it is part of our business to cover the busy summer peak with additional aircraft, because demand is very strong during the 4-month period,” an Austrian Airlines spokesperson said. <br/>