A flight travelling from Paris to Detroit was suddenly diverted to Canada after a passenger linked to the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of the Congo reportedly boarded the aircraft “in error”, according to officials.
The US Customs and Border Protection said the passenger should not have been allowed onto the Air France flight due to current US entry restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola.
The plane was reportedly redirected to Montreal, approximately 800 kilometres away from its intended destination, after US authorities refused permission for it to land in Detroit.
Health officials later confirmed that the passenger showed no symptoms of Ebola and was eventually flown back to France.
“A Public Health Agency of Canada quarantine officer assessed the traveller and determined they were asymptomatic,” Health Canada said in a statement.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola can only spread once an infected person begins showing symptoms, which may appear between two and 21 days after exposure.
The current Ebola outbreak in central Africa has already claimed nearly 140 lives, while more than 600 suspected cases have been identified.
One passenger onboard, Deborah Mistor, told media that cabin crew members began wearing masks after the captain announced the unexpected diversion.
She said passengers were informed roughly four hours before arrival that the plane would not be landing in the United States.
“I think enough people must have been questioning what was happening because later the captain came back and confirmed there was nothing wrong with the aircraft and no technical issues,” she said.
“He explained it was strictly because US authorities would not allow us to land.”
Passengers were later reportedly flown to Detroit using the same aircraft after the situation was assessed by Canadian health officials.
Air France confirmed the diversion, saying US authorities requested the flight be rerouted after discovering that a Congolese passenger had boarded despite travel restrictions.
The United States currently restricts entry for non-American travellers who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan or Uganda within the last three weeks.
US citizens and permanent residents returning from those countries are only allowed to enter through Washington-Dulles International Airport for enhanced health screening.
The ongoing Ebola outbreak has been classified as a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization.
Meanwhile, health authorities said the risk to the United States remains relatively low, although stricter border measures are being enforced to prevent the virus from spreading internationally.
Officials also revealed that one American doctor working with a medical missionary group in Congo had tested positive for Ebola and is currently being treated in isolation at a hospital in Germany.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine currently exists. The World Health Organization said it may take up to nine months before a vaccine becomes available.
