Air France diverts 3 flights heading to Africa

A flight headed to Port Loius in Mauritius. Flight AF470 operated using a B777-3000ER had to return to Paris after an emergency was delcared due to a technical issue.

Another Boeing 777-300ER enroute to Nairobi in Kenya was also diverted. The aircraft turned back just as it was about to fly over Egypt. After 8 hours, the aircraft landed back in Paris, where it had departed from. A report stated that the pilots decided to turn back due to precautionary measures regarding the Middle East situation.

The third flight, operated by a Boeing 777-200ER which was headed to Antananarivo in Madagascar, also turned back over Egypt. Again, this was due to safety concerns.

Air France confirmed that, as a precautionary measure, it has decided to suspend flights over the Red Sea area until further notice. The decision follows the suspicion of a crew observing a luminous object at high altitude in the Sudan area.