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The memory units of both flight recorders from the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last month are severely damaged, according to Egyptian aircraft accident investigation committee sources. The memory units of the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder will require "lots of time and effort" to fix, sources said Sunday. The committee is analysing them before determining if they can be repaired in Egypt or will need to be sent abroad. Search teams retrieved the CVR Thursday and said at the time that they found it damaged but that the memory unit was intact. They found the FDR Friday. Leaked flight data indicated that a sensor detected smoke in a lavatory and a fault in two of the plane's cockpit windows in the final moments of the flight. <br/>

Lufthansa suspended flights Friday to Venezuela until further notice, ending 45 years of service to the capital Caracas due to the country's economic meltdown. "The difficult economic circumstances in Venezuela and the inability to transfer local currency into US dollars have led to this decision," a Lufthansa spokesman said. In addition to declining demand for the 3 flights per week from Lufthansa's hub in Frankfurt to Caracas, Venezuela also owes the airline hundreds of millions of dollars. Lufthansa passengers will still be able to reach Caracas through connections provided by Avianca and Copa airlines. The economic crisis and restrictions in Venezuela have prevented Lufthansa from converting local sales into dollars, a problem compounded by sky-high inflation. <br/>