Air France Flight Turned Away From U.S. Airspace and Diverted to Canada Over Suspected Ebola-Linked Passenger

An Air France Boeing 777-200 operating a scheduled service from Paris to Detroit has been denied entry to U.S. airspace and forced to divert to Montreal, in what is emerging as a direct consequence of sweeping new American travel restrictions linked to a deadly Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa.

Flight AF-378, which departed Paris Charles de Gaulle at approximately 4 pm on Wednesday, was diverted to Montreal Trudeau International Airport, where it was expected to touch down at 5:30 pm local time. The aircraft was carrying up to 312 passengers. 

According to a passenger on board, travelling on a Delta Air Lines codeshare with Air France, the pilots announced to those on board that "US authorities are not allowing us to land in Detroit." The same passenger noted that a flight attendant "mentioned something about a virus and they have masks on." 

The development is almost certainly connected to a sweeping public health order enacted just days earlier. On May 18, 2026, the CDC, along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies, implemented enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions, and public health measures to prevent Ebola from entering the United States amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa. The order was signed by acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya and will remain in place for 30 days. 

Under the restrictions, non-U.S. passport holders who have been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), or South Sudan within the previous 21 days are barred from entering the country. The CDC confirmed that the order does not apply to U.S. citizens, green-card holders, or U.S. service members. 

The ban was triggered by a rapidly escalating outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus. The outbreak has already killed more than 80 people in the DRC and one person in Uganda. The outbreak is centred in eastern Congo's Ituri Province, and the CDC order noted that "conflict, weak health infrastructure, and relatively porous borders in the region are complicating containment efforts." 

The human dimension of the crisis became undeniable when an American physician was identified as an infected patient. The organization Serge confirmed that Peter Stafford, a physician who had been working at a hospital in Bunia, northeastern DRC, since 2023, tested positive for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant. Stafford and his family, including four children, were transferred to Germany for treatment and observation, along with another doctor working for the charity. 

CDC Ebola response incident manager Satish Pillai told reporters: 

“We are doing this to ensure that they are at the level of care that they can receive either treatment or observation that's required.”

The Bundibugyo strain presents a particularly serious challenge. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently no vaccines or specific therapeutics available to treat it, and in previous Bundibugyo outbreaks, fatality rates have ranged from 30% to 50%.

Although the reason a specific passenger or passengers on flight AF-378 drew the attention of U.S. authorities has not been confirmed, the geographic connection is notable. Air France does not fly directly to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan, the three countries named in the CDC order. It does, however, operate flights to Kinshasa in the neighbouring Republic of Congo, which shares a border with the DRC. 

The broader implications of the U.S. response are attracting international attention. Africa CDC acknowledged the U.S. government's right to protect its citizens but called on all countries "to refrain from imposing unnecessary travel or trade restrictions in response to this outbreak." 

The U.S. State Department has also issued updated Level 4 travel advisories for all three countries, advising that no American citizens or permanent residents should travel to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan for any reason. 

Representatives from Air France, Delta Air Lines, Montreal Trudeau International Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the CDC have been contacted for comment. This remains a developing story.