Air France warned its pilots in November about 'a significant number of incidents' linked to the Pitot probes. -- PHOTO: AFP
PARIS - AIR France has agreed to replace within days the air speed monitors on its Airbus A330s and A340, suspected in connection with last week's deadly Atlantic crash, a pilot's union said on Tuesday.
PARIS - AIR France has said that from Tuesday none of
its A330 and A340 jets will fly unless at least two of their three airspeed probes have been replaced following last week's crash, a pilots' union said.
'That's to say, they'll all be modified today, even if that causes delays,' said a trade union official, just over a week after one of the planes crashed into the Atlantic with the loss of 228 lives.
PARIS - THE global police agency Interpol will help French and Brazilian officials identify victims of the crash of Air France flight 447, the organisation said on Tuesday.
More than 228 people were lost when the Airbus A330 long-haul jet suddenly and mysteriously plunged into the Atlantic Ocean of June 1, and so far only 24 bodies have been recovered from the remote waters.
Air France said on Saturday it was stepping up replacement of so-called Pitot probes on its A330s, amid speculation a faulty reading may have contributed to the loss of its AF 447 flight from Rio to Paris with 228 people on board.
'Air France management summoned pilots' unions on Monday night to inform them on work to replace Pitot probes, and gave an extremely tight calendar... of a few days,' said Mr Erick Derivry, spokesman for the SNPL union.
The June 1 Rio de Janeiro-Paris crash is the worst aviation accident since 2001, and unprecedented in Air France's 75-year history.
The doomed jet broadcast a series of 24 automatic error messages as its systems shut down one-by-one in its final minutes, and French investigators say the cockpit was receiving conflicting speed data.
According to a memo obtained by AFP, Air France warned its pilots in November about 'a significant number of incidents' linked to the Pitot probes. -- AFP
