What do we know about the airline?published at 16:02 British Summer Time
Sofia Bettiza
BBC News, reporting from The Netherlands
We are at the headquarters
of Zeusch Aviation, external – the Dutch company operating the plane that crashed at Southend Airport.
The aircraft was returning here to Lelystad
Airport when it went down yesterday. This is a small airport in the Netherlands, on an island to the east of Amsterdam – and today, it’s almost deserted.
We were able to speak to a pilot from another
airline. He told us he’s worried that one of his colleagues may be among the
victims, as many of the staff here know one another.
We tried to speak to someone from Zeusch Aviation,
but their offices are closed, and they are not responding to journalists.
We just saw airport security staff lowering the Dutch flag to half mast at the entrance of the airport.
So what do we know about the
airline?
It’s a privately owned, small
company – they operate 14 aircraft. Zeusch specialises in medical evacuation
flights, private charters, and aerial filming for various events.
On a typical air ambulance flight, there are
usually four people on board: a pilot, a co-pilot, and two medical staff.
The airline has issued a statement saying they are
actively supporting the investigation – and that their thoughts are with
“everyone who has been affected”.
But key questions remain
unanswered – most importantly: who was on board that flight, and what caused
it to crash?