Summary

• An Air France Boeing 777-200ER had to divert to Montreal due to a burning smell in the cabin.
• The aircraft was operating flight AF21 between Los Angeles and Paris.
• The Boeing 777-200ER was reportedly plunged into darkness before the odor developed.

An Air France spokesperson confirmed that the airline’s Boeing 777-200ER was forced to divert to Montreal, Canada after a burning smell appeared in the cabin. The aircraft was carrying 315 passengers and 13 crew members, including three pilots and ten cabin crew members.

Burning odor

According to the airline’s representative, the Air France Boeing 777-200ER, registered as F-GSPE, was operating flight AF21 between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), had to divert to Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport (YUL) on May 9.

Flightradar24 data showed that the aircraft was scheduled to depart YUL shortly after its diversion on May 9. However, the flight was canceled, presumably due to a more serious technical issue preventing the Air France widebody jet from leaving the Canadian airport.

“This decision was taken in accordance with the manufacturer's procedures, the company's instructions and in application of the precautionary principle. The aircraft landed normally in Montreal at 10:13 pm (local time) in the presence of firefighters in accordance with procedures.”

The whole cabin went dark

A passenger has contacted the Simple Flying editorial team to detail their experience onboard the flight. They shared that about four hours into the flight, the whole cabin went dark; the crew began investigating the source of the problem. Shortly after, the pilots informed the passengers that the aircraft would divert to Montreal.

The traveler noted emergency services were present when the aircraft landed in Montreal, including fire trucks and police cars. They added that firefighters boarded the aircraft. However, the passengers were told that they could not locate the source of the burning odor.

Passengers from the flight are now waiting in Montreal for new flights to Paris.

Flightadar24 data showed that Air France currently operates two daily flights from YUL to CDG, AF345, and AF347, which are flown by either the Boeing 777-300ER or Airbus A350-900. Hopefully, the stranded passengers will be accommodated soon.

25-year-old Boeing 777-200ER

According to ch-aviation data, Air France took delivery of the Boeing 777-200ER that was involved in the incident in January 1999, shortly after its first flight on January 8, 1999. The widebody jet, owned by Air France, has 328 seats onboard: 28 business, 32 premium economy, and 268 economy class.

Burning odors can be caused by a long list of faults, from engine oil and hydraulic fluid fumes entering the cabin air system to wires shorting out and more serious events. Reports of burning smells in airplanes are relatively common, and rarely signify the start of an actual fire.

For passengers, however, these events can be frustrating. Back in 2019, another Air France Boeing 777 - tail number F-GSPA - took passengers on a painful 10-hour flight to nowhere because of a burning smell in the cabin. The aircraft was over the Azores on its way to Cayenne, French Guyana, when the decision was made to return to Paris.

• 

  Air France

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AF/AFR

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport

  Year Founded:

  1933

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  Airline Group:

  Air France-KLM

  CEO:

  Anne Rigail

  Country:

  France

  Region:

  Europe