An Air France flight scheduled to land at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Wednesday, May 20 was diverted to Montreal after U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo was mistakenly allowed to board despite entry r
A Wednesday evening landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport turned into a scramble in the air. An Air France flight headed for Metro was diverted to Montreal over concerns about a possible Ebola virus exposure on board—an abrupt reroute that underlined how quickly public health rules can reach into airline schedules.
The flight, scheduled to land at about 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, ultimately did reach Detroit at 8:18 p.m., according to the airport’s website. Flight tracking records show Air France flight 378 was listed as diverted to Montreal, landing there at 5:15 p.m.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that it was a matter of entry restrictions. The agency said Air France boarded a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo in error on a flight to the United States. Because of entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of Ebola. CBP said the passenger should not have boarded the plane. CBP said it prohibited the flight from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and instead diverted it to Montreal.
The diversion landed in the middle of a wider U.S. response put in place earlier this month. On May 18, the CDC and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a 30-day travel ban on non-U.S. passport holders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda. That same announcement included screenings at airports and other points of entry for all travelers who departed from airports in those countries or have visited them in the last 21 days.
In a document set to be published in the Federal Register. the Department of Homeland Security said it was routing all passengers who have been physically present in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda. or South Sudan in the past 21 days to Washington-Dulles International Airport. where it said the U.S. government is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public health measures. The order applies to flights that depart after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on May 20, 2026.
The emergency footing comes as the World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as of Wednesday. May 20 that at least 139 people are believed to have died in the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. and roughly 600 people have suspected cases.
He warned that both the case count and the number of deaths are likely to grow, saying the virus spread largely undetected for weeks in the DRC—making tracing and containing it very difficult. He also said there are no vaccines or therapeutic treatments for the Bundibugyo type.
Back in the U.S., the CDC’s Ebola response includes plans for people who may have been exposed. An American doctor working in the region now is sick with Ebola and was airlifted earlier this week to a hospital in Germany. where the CDC said he was in stable condition on Wednesday. The CDC said six other Americans are believed to have had high-risk exposure to the virus and are being isolated in Europe.
During a May 20 news conference, Dr. Satish K. Pillai. incident manager for CDC’s Ebola response. said other American citizens identified as having high-risk exposures were also being moved from DRC to Germany and the Czech Republic as the situation moved forward. He said the people being moved remain asymptomatic and are being transported to ensure access to specialized care if needed. Pillai said medical transports for volunteers working in the region are conducted with procedures and protocols designed to protect the public. health care workers. and other staff every step of the way.
The CDC did not directly answer questions about why people sick with Ebola and those considered high-risk exposures were being taken to Europe for isolation and treatment instead of to U.S. hospitals and quarantine facilities. Pillai said the assessments for movement plans to Germany and the Czech Republic were based on a dynamic situation and the need to move quickly. adding that the locations were chosen based on needs present at that time. He said the CDC continues to develop and operationalize plans for further movement and would work hand in glove with state and local public health departments.
The CDC said it will also: work to identify travelers who may have been exposed to Ebola by coordinating with airlines. port-of-entry officials and international partners; enhance contact tracing. laboratory testing capacity and hospital readiness; and continue to deploy CDC personnel to support outbreak containment efforts in the affected regions. Pillai said the process includes layers of safety built into it. including health assessments. exit screenings. port of entries assessment. and coordination with health departments. He later added that the risk to the United States remains low.
Ebola is a severe. often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever that can spread to humans if they have contact with the blood. bodily fluids or organs of infected animals in central Africa. including fruit bats. chimpanzees. gorillas. monkeys. forest antelope or porcupines. according to the World Health Organization. It can also spread from person to person with direct contact with the blood or body fluids of someone who is sick with Ebola disease or someone who has died from the disease. WHO says people can contract the virus after touching objects or surfaces contaminated with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person and then touching mucous membranes or open wounds.
WHO reports an average fatality rate of 50% for all types of Ebola. with rates that have varied from 25% to 90% in previous outbreaks. The incubation period can range from two days to 21 days. and symptoms initially can include fever. fatigue. malaise. muscle pain. headache and sore throat. Those are typically followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rash, along with impaired kidney function and liver function. WHO reports bleeding tends to be a less common symptom that can occur later. and some patients might experience bleeding from the nose. gums. vagina and blood in vomit and feces.
The sequence of decisions—CBP barring a prohibited boarding. diverting a flight away from Detroit. and the CDC shifting operational resources into enhanced entry measures—played out on the same day the U.S. public-health posture was already being tightened by travel restrictions and airport screenings. The message was clear in practice: even one mistaken boarding can force authorities to act fast. while they keep calibrating where patients and potential exposures are managed.
For now, the flight has landed and the response continues. The CDC says the risk to the United States remains low. and officials described ongoing efforts to track exposures. expand testing and strengthen hospital readiness as the global count linked to the Bundibugyo outbreak remains high and the WHO warns it may rise.
Ebola Air France flight 378 Detroit Metropolitan Airport Montreal diversion U.S. Customs and Border Protection CDC Ebola response Democratic Republic of Congo travel ban Washington-Dulles routing Bundibugyo strain