Air France Flight Diverted To Montreal After U.S. Entry Denial
Air France flight diverted to Montreal after AF378 left Paris Charles de Gaulle for Detroit at 4 pm on May 20, 2026, carrying up to 312 passengers on a Boeing 777-200. A passenger said the pilots later told travelers, “US authorities are not allowing us to land in Detroit.”
Air France said the diversion happened at the request of U.S. authorities after a Congolese passenger on board was denied entry into the United States. The aircraft was expected to land in Montreal at 5:30 pm local time, and Air France said there was no medical emergency on board.
Air France and U.S. entry rules
Air France said, “Air France confirms that, at the request of U.S. authorities, Flight AF378 on May 20, 2026, operating the Paris-Charles de Gaulle–Detroit (DTW) route, was diverted to Montreal Airport after a Congolese passenger on board was denied entry into the United States.” The airline also said, “In fact, under new regulations, passengers arriving from certain countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, may only enter U.S. territory via Washington (IAD) Airport. There was no medical emergency on board, and like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves.”
That left passengers on the Delta Air Lines codeshare flight facing an unplanned stop in Canada instead of a direct arrival in Detroit. The flight’s path now sits at the intersection of airline operations and a new U.S. entry rule that changes where some travelers may land.
CDC order and Ebola context
The diversion came after the CDC issued an emergency order on Monday barring most travelers who had been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda in the last 21 days from entering the United States. U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and lawful permanent residents may still enter even if they have been in one of the three countries in the last 21 days.
The order followed the May 17 case of a U.S. doctor who had been treating Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and was evacuated to Germany for emergency medical treatment. The World Health Organization said there are currently no vaccines or specific therapeutics available to treat the Bundibugyo strain, and previous outbreaks have carried fatality rates ranging from 30% to 50%.
Passengers on AF378
One passenger described hearing the pilots announce, “US authorities are not allowing us to land in Detroit.” The same passenger said a flight attendant “mentioned something about a virus and they have masks on.”
For the people on AF378, the immediate change was the landing point and the paperwork around it, not the destination printed on the ticket. The next confirmed step is the aircraft’s arrival in Montreal, where the diverted Paris-to-Detroit flight was due at 5:30 pm local time.
