Allache: “Air Algérie Plane Did Not Receive Any Contact From The French Air Surveillance”

Air Algérie confirmed on Thursday that its aircraft was flown by the French Defense Ministry’s air force on Tuesday, adding that it turned normally as it left the Algerian airspace to French air traffic controllers, which gave it a radar code and allowed it to operate directly within an air line that was implemented by the crew of the Algerian airline company.

General Manager of Air Algérie, Taher Allache told Echorouk on Saturday, that Air Algérie crew did not received a contact from the French air traffic controllers until they received a call through emergency frequencies from a foreign airline that is operating in the same space, asking them to communicate with the French air control. “

For his part, the head of Air Algérie public affairs’ department, Reda Tobale Seghir, said: “Air Algérie plane turned regularly to the frequencies of the French air traffic controllers as soon as they left the Algerian airspace, and got a code radar, and was allowed to pass within the line of navigation, and this was applied by its crew”.

“Air Algérie did not received a contact from the French air traffic controllers until they received a call through the emergency vibrations from a foreign airline that is operating in the same space asking for contact with French air traffic controllers”.

“After communicating with the French air control, the crew was informed that it was carrying out an identification process by the French armed forces, by sending a warplane, a procedure that is applied to all airlines, as it is verified that the aircraft is not under illegal interference or order, in case of a loss of radio communication or deviation from the track without a license”.

“The crew remains in all conditions to listen to the vibrations as it relates to the frequency of the aerial surveillance of the area where the aircraft is located, and the only frequency of vigilance and protection that is used by pilots and air traffic controllers, and the military personnel in case of a work-turbulence problem”.

“Our crew did not receive any contact on the emergency pulse that is assigned to such cases. Air Algérie provided civil and military air traffic control services with the possibility of communicating with the Directorate of the Operations Control Center, by the Permanent Flight Control Center, which also undertakes the task of reporting each exceptional case that allows communication between crews on board aircraft and officials on the ground, through a communication system for written messages, which is the system for communication, processing and reporting for the aircraft.”

“In this particular case, the Operations Control Center of Air Algérie did not receive any communication from the civil aviation or military service to inform it of the loss of contact with the flight. Air Algérie requested verbatim transcripts between the aircraft and air traffic controllers, as this will allow the determination of possible imbalances or their absence”.