Detroit-bound Air France flight diverted after Congo error

Detroit-bound Air – A passenger from Congo boarded an Air France flight bound for Detroit “in error,” prompting U.S. Customs and Border Protection to bar the aircraft from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and divert it to Montreal, as new Ebola-related entry r

A Wednesday afternoon departure from Paris quickly turned into a public health and immigration scramble.

An Air France flight bound for Detroit was redirected to Canada after a passenger from Congo boarded “in error” amid the Ebola outbreak in central Africa. officials said Wednesday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it took “decisive action” by prohibiting the flight from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” a CBP spokesperson said in a statement.

The Montreal Trudeau International Airport directed a request for comment to Air France. In a statement, Air France confirmed Flight 378 was diverted “at the request of U.S. authorities” after it departed Paris on Wednesday, landing in Montreal shortly after 5 p.m. ET.

Air France said there was no medical emergency on board. The airline added that, like all airlines, it is required to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves.

The diversion comes as the U.S. tightens entry rules for people who recently were in parts of central Africa affected by Ebola. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday that the U.S. will restrict entry for people without U.S. passports who were in Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the last three weeks. The restriction is in effect for the next 30 days.

Those changes were formalized in a notice submitted to the Federal Register and published Thursday. In it, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security announced new arrival restrictions directing all flights to the U.S. with passengers who have recently traveled to Congo, Uganda or South Sudan to land at Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

The restrictions begin Thursday and apply to any person who “has departed from. or was otherwise present within. ” the three countries “within 21 days of the date of the person’s entry or attempted entry” into the U.S. according to the document. Dulles was described as the airport “where the U.S. government is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public health measures.”.

In a statement. a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said enhanced screening. monitoring and response activities are in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus spreading to the U.S. CBP said it is continuing to coordinate with airlines. international partners. and port-of-entry officials to identify and manage travelers who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus.

Air France acknowledged the new restrictions.

The Ebola outbreak has already driven major numbers of suspected cases and deaths. The suspected death toll totals more than 139. with more than 600 suspected cases. most of them in Congo. according to the World Health Organization. The WHO said Wednesday that a vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain—one that is driving the outbreak—is most likely months away from human trials. and there is no guarantee it would work.

Air France Flight 378 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Montreal Trudeau International Airport U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ebola outbreak Congo Washington-Dulles International Airport DHS CDC Federal Register entry restrictions