Passengers on a diverted Air France flight are now facing a saga that has extended beyond the 24-hour mark.
Daily News 24 reports that the incident occurred as the aircraft was en route from Paris to Seattle.
Passengers who were affected by the situation will now be transported back to Seattle with the assistance of Delta Airlines, a codeshare partner of Air France, as confirmed by KOMO News.
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In an unexpected turn of events, the crew of flight AF338 made the decision to divert their course to a remote town in northern Canada.
This decision was prompted by an unusual smell of heat that permeated the cabin, raising concerns among the crew and passengers alike.
According to Air France, the crew’s decision was based on three specific criteria, as reported by KOMO News.
- Procedures set by the manufacturer
- Instructions from the airline
- The application of the precautionary principle
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying over 260 passengers and 10 crew members successfully touched down at the Iqaluit airport at 10:44 a.m. local time. The local airport’s fire department was present in full force, prepared for any potential emergency that may arise.
Passengers took to social media to share their frustration after enduring a lengthy wait on the plane before finally being given permission to disembark. According to multiple reports, the passengers claimed to have spent a total of four hours on board before being allowed to leave the aircraft. The local airport authorities in Iqaluit ensured the safety of the passengers by keeping them in a secure area until they could resume their journey.
Following a lengthy delay of over 12 hours in Canada, Air France promptly arranged for an aircraft and crew to transport the passengers from Montreal to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. Now, let’s discuss the process of returning to their initial destination of Seattle.
Air France informed KOMO News that they are actively working to reroute passengers to Seattle as swiftly as possible. However, no specific timeline was provided for this process.
