Ethiopian Airlines crash: Greek passenger missed flight as he was late

A man has escaped the deadly plane crash in Ethiopia that killed everyone on board after he chose to fly with a cheaper airline at the last minute.

French media report having spoken with a Frenchman identified only as ‘Alfred’ in Addis Ababa who chose to fly with Kenya Airways at the last minute because they were offering a discount deal.

Alfred was supposed to take the tragic Ethiopian Airlines 302 flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to meet up with his two brothers, but at the last minute, he decided to stay an extra day in Ethiopia. 

The cost of a ticket on the tragic flight was 90 dollars more expensive.

Alfred, reportedly from Paris and who works with a refugee aid organisation, told French newspaper Le Progres: ‘I went to the Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways agencies several times before making up my mind. 

‘The Ethiopian airline ticket cost 280 dollars and the Kenyan airline one was 90 dollars less for the same trip. So I preferred to delay my departure and save some money.’

He added: ‘French people living in Nairobi are all familiar with this flight. I myself have taken it often. 

‘I was surprised to learn that eight Frenchmen were on board Sunday morning. It is rather rare that they are so numerous. 

‘I immediately thought of a group of tourists or a delegation, perhaps in connection with the UN summit on the environment that opens in Nairobi. 

‘In any case, they are probably not members of the French community of Nairobi, otherwise the people of the WhatsApp group would have spoken about it.’

At the time of writing, the catastrophe is reported as having claimed 157 lives, including: 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, 9 Ethiopians, 9 French, 8 Americans, 8 Chinese, 8 Italians, and 7 British citizens.

Investigations are ongoing after the plane crashed just a few minutes after take off after having reported a problem

Kenya Airways offered its condolences to the families of the passengers who have died in a tweet.

Ethiopian Airlines has issued its sixth ‘Accident Bulletin’ stating that the ‘Digital Flight Data Recorder(DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR) of ET302 have been Recovered.’ 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk