Another low-flying aircraft incident has shaken residents and tourists in Nice on Monday and an investigation has been opened by France’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC).
The Boeing 737 of Air Algerie bound for Nice flew over the city centre at very low altitude sat 11:56 am, a manoeuvre that is strictly prohibited. The head of the Sud-Est air navigation service at the DGAC, Emmanuelle Blanc, said the trajectory of Air Algérie flight AH1040 was “not a normal trajectory”.
The aircraft finally began its turn at avenue Jean-Médecin to get back in line with the runway at Nice Airport. “We will analyse this trajectory. There has been a breach,” Ms Blanc said.
The unusually low flight startled beachgoers along the Promenade, as the first year anniversary of the Bastille Day attack commemorated less than three weeks ago is still fresh in the minds of locals.
Almost a year ago, on August 28, 2016, a plane of Turkish Airlines missed its approach and flew at a height of 200 metres above sea level over Nice, causing considerable alarm.