Athens (AFP) – The pilot of an EgyptAir flight that vanished over the eastern Mediterranean early on Thursday with 66 people on board, had “not mentioned a problem” in his final contact, Greek civil aviation officials said.

“The flight controllers contacted the pilot (with the plane) at a height of 37,000 feet (near Athens)… he did not mention a problem,” civil aviation chief Constantinos Litzerakos told Antenna TV.