A plane from the French company, which was to connect Paris to Seattle, finally made an emergency landing in Iqaluit, in the far north of Canada, on Tuesday May 7, after a “hot smell” was identified on board. the cabin.
Passengers on board Air France flight 338 saw their journey somewhat turned upside down. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-900, was to connect Paris to Seattle in the United States on Tuesday May 9. He finally made an emergency landing in the far north of Canada, in Iqaluit, capital of the territory of Nunavut, at 10:44 a.m. local time. The reason for this diversion? A “hot smell” was identified in the cabin.
But for the moment, no information has been provided on its origin on board. The plane remains grounded in Iqaluit to undergo “additional technical checks”, specifies Air France in a written statement.
However, the 260 passengers on the plane were not neglected by the company. They were able to benefit from meals and refreshments on site. Above all, the carrier dispatched another plane from Montreal to pick them up, in order to take them to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. However, Air France customers had to wait more than 10 hours in Iqaluit.
This new aircraft only took off around 10:39 p.m. from the Canadian city, landing just 2:17 a.m. in New York. On site, “welcome and accommodation assistance were provided for them and rerouting solutions to Seattle offered as quickly as possible,” indicates Air France. The company relied in particular on its American partner Delta Airlines to find these solutions.
A planned destination in the event of a diversion
Iqaluit is included in flight plans as a diversion airport for many air carriers traveling on polar routes between North America, Asia and Europe, a spokesperson for the Government of Nunavut told The Press. Once every two or three months, diversions for technical or medical reasons occur there.
Air France Flight 338 left Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport at 10:31 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The Boeing 787 operating this route was initially scheduled to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington, at 11:20 a.m.
Its diversion comes as the American Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) opened an investigation on Monday to determine whether the aircraft manufacturer had properly carried out the required inspections of its emblematic 787 “Dreamliner”, concerning the joining of the wings to the fuselage. The agency is also verifying that company employees have not falsified documents related to the plane.
