Al-Ahram quoted an EgyptAir official as saying that the national carrier asked the US investigators, who were reportedly due to leave later today, to make a request ``through diplomatic channels'' because it had no authority on such matters or over the families.

The official added that the US team was allowed to look through the service files of all five pilots who were flying here from New York on October 31 before the plane crashed, killing all 217 people on board.