This is exactly what happened to passengers on Air France flight 246 on Sunday evening, November 9. The Airbus A350, en route from Paris to Seoul, was diverted to Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss Airport. According to the airline, the reason for the sudden turnaround was a smell of burning in the cockpit. The airport confirmed that the Airbus landed safely in the Bavarian capital in the early evening.
Air France Aircraft Makes Unexpected Landing at Munich Airport
Flight tracking data shows the Airbus was already in the airspace over Liechtenstein, heading towards Austria, when the crew initiated an abrupt left turn and set a course for Munich Airport. The scheduled flight time from Paris to Seoul is normally twelve hours and 20 minutes. After the unplanned landing, ground staff moved the aircraft to a parking stand. An airport spokesperson confirmed that no one was injured in the incident.
The affected passengers were taken to the terminal after landing, where staff from the airport and the French airline attended to them. Later that night, the passengers were flown back to Paris on a different aircraft, an Air France spokesperson told the German Press Agency (dpa). They were then expected to wait at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. In the meantime, the airline has organized alternative connecting flights to the South Korean capital, Seoul, for all affected passengers.
Incidentally, the shortest regular flight connection from Munich lasts only about 45 minutes and leads to a destination 230 kilometers away.
Sources: dpa, Flightaware
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