French Government to Propose New Law on Safety of Charter Airlines

The French government is expected to propose a new law to boost the safety of charter flights, following the crash of a charter aircraft in Egypt.

An aircraft operated by charter carrier Flash Airlines crashed into the Red Sea off Egypt on Saturday (3 January) killing all 148 people on board - the majority of whom were French. The pilot of the flight is said to have detected problems on takeoff from Sharm el-Shiek and attempted to return to the airport. Radar images show that the aircraft turned left as normal after takeoff, then suddenly straightened out and turned right before crashing into the sea, one minute after its left turn.

The proposed new law would require tour operators to clearly identify the charter company to their flying customers, reported The Associated Press.