An Air France plane in flight. (Credit: AFP archives)
An Air France flight, AF 565, operating between Beirut and Paris was forced to make an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on Sunday evening due to the appearance of a smell of smoke detected in the rear cabin, the airline confirmed to L’Orient-Le Jour.
"Flight AF565 was diverted to Munich for technical reasons, due to a smell of smoke perceived at the rear of the cabin. Passengers disembarked on German soil," according to Air France. "To facilitate rerouting, a new aircraft was put in place. The flight finally resumed this morning at 9:05 a.m. [Paris time]," the same source added.
The flight, operated by an Airbus A330-200, departed from Beirut International Airport at 5:29 p.m. (local time), despite a scheduled departure time of 4 p.m., resulting in nearly an hour and a half delay.
The plane was initially due to land at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport at 7:50 p.m. (Paris time).
In the end, the airplane landed in Munich at 8:18 p.m. (local time).
While the aircraft was cruising at 40,000 feet over southern Germany, the crew initiated emergency procedures by transmitting “Squawk 7700,” the international distress code, which gives the flight immediate priority with air traffic control in the relevant area, according to Airlive, a website specializing in aviation news.
"This decision was made in accordance with manufacturer procedures, company instructions, and out of an abundance of caution," Air France told Le Figaro.
The airline clarified that "the legal work time limit for the crew was reached, so the continuation of the flight was canceled," adding that the passengers were taken care of.
The airline also "regretted the inconvenience caused by this situation" and reiterated that "the safety of its customers and crews remains its absolute priority."
A passenger, who requested anonymity, told our publication that "a smell of fuel was detected on board during the flight, leading the crew to carry out the emergency landing in order to determine the origin."
Once on the ground, passengers waited for "the causes of these emissions to be identified to know if they could take off again."
With no conclusive explanation provided, "we were finally disembarked." Images shared on social media show firefighters inspecting the aircraft, with no prior passenger evacuation.
