WELLINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Air New Zealand confirmed Friday that an Airbus A320 passenger aircraft on lease to a European-based company, which other reports said was on a training flight, has crashed in the Mediterranean Sea.
"Air New Zealand confirms that one of its Airbus A320 aircraft on lease to a European-based company has crashed in the Mediterranean," Air NZ Chief Executive Rob Fyfe said in a brief statement.
He said the aircraft was being operated by the leasee, reported by Radio New Zealand to be German charter firm XL, and was due to return to service with Air New Zealand next month.
News agency AFP earlier reported that rescuers had found the body of one crew member buts that six others were still missing after the jet plunged into the Mediterranean Sea off France.
The wreck of the Airbus A320 has been located off the southern city of Perpignan, where it had been undergoing maintenance and from where it had taken off, but there was no sign of any of the six missing crew, AFP reported.
The plane was on a flight to check that it was operating normally when it fell from the sky, AFP quoted officials in Perpignan as saying.
AFP reported that a major rescue operation was underway, with a surveillance plane, two rescue helicopters and five ships scouring the seas around the crash site 3.5 nautical miles (2.5 kilometers) from the shore.
-By Simon Louisson, Dow Jones Newswires; 64-4-471-5990; simon.louisson@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 27, 2008 14:14 ET (19:14 GMT)

Publié le 27 novembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones