Air France Flight Diverted Over U.S. Ebola Restrictions

An Air France flight destined for Detroit was diverted to Montreal Wednesday after a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo boarded "in error," running afoul of new U.S. entry restrictions imposed to limit Ebola risk.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the passenger "should not have boarded" the plane from Paris due to restrictions that prevent travel to the United States from certain countries affected by the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. The passenger was denied entry and the plane was rerouted to Montreal's Trudeau International Airport.

Air France said the passenger was barred due to new regulations requiring that travellers from affected countries, including the Congo, enter the United States only through Washington. The mix-up highlights the complexity of coordinating travel restrictions across borders during a public health crisis and the challenges airlines face in enforcing real-time regulatory changes.

Canadian health officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the incident underscores heightened border vigilance as the Ebola outbreak continues to spread. The diversion caused delays but no additional passengers are believed to have been at elevated risk—the protocols designed to prevent such boarding errors, while imperfect, caught the issue before it escalated into a full-scale exposure event.