The flight took off at 04:44 (EET) from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and was due to have flown to Paris via Cairo. Initially it was thought terrorists may have been involved, as fear of aviation terrorism was high (with several major airlines in previous days cancelling flights on short notice), and British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also holidaying in the Sharm el-Sheikh area. However, recent media reports suggest that the plane crashed due to technical problems, possibly a result of the apparently questionable safety record of the airline (see Flash Airlines for details).
Despite all this speculation, the cause of the crash is unknown. The pilot is said to have made no radio contact, and the black box flight recorder has not been recovered and thorough investigations concluded. This process may take several years.