The flight that crashed at the Aaliya Air Base on Friday, killing at least one soldier and injuring dozens, was headed from Jordan to Cairo.
The plane’s crew was from the Jordanian Air Force, which was based at the time at the base.
The aircraft, with 227 passengers and 17 crew members, was on a scheduled flight to the capital of Egypt from the city of Ras al-Amud in the desert south of the country.
Egyptian military officials said the plane, registered as Aaliya 7-817, left the base at about 5 a.m. and was flying to Cairo, where it was supposed to rendezvous with a military transport plane that would take it to the airport at the Suez Canal in the Gulf of Aqaba, south of Cairo.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, speaking at a news conference, said the jetliner had taken off from the base, which is home to the Jordanian air force, about 45 minutes before the crash.
El-Sissi said the pilot, who was not identified, had died, but the cause of the crash was not immediately known.
He said the flight was en route from Jordan when it crashed.
In a statement, the Jordanian government said it was looking into the cause.
“We ask for prayers for the family of the pilot and the entire family of those on board,” the statement read.
El-Malki told Al-Arabiya television that the pilot was an officer of the Jordanian armed forces.
He said the airline did not have an official name for the aircraft.
It was not clear what caused the plane to crash, but El-Malfat said the aircraft had been on its way to Cairo for some time and had been carrying military supplies.
Flight 717 was carrying about 220 passengers and 10 crew members when it lost contact with radar, El-Maliki said.
Military officials said a search for the plane began in the early morning and that it was found on the beach.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the cause was under investigation.
The National Transportation Security Administration said it would conduct a thorough investigation into the crash, which occurred during the day and late in the afternoon, and would determine the next steps.
At least two people were killed and several others injured in the crash on the base’s eastern runway.
