Air France Flight Forced to Turn Back After Passenger Attack Mid-Air
An Air France flight heading to Senegal was forced to make an emergency return to Paris after a violent passenger attack on a senior crew member threw the flight into chaos.
Passenger Goes Berserk at 32,000 Feet
Flight AF718, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER (registration F-GZNI), took off from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday, 16 August at 17:24 CEST, bound for Dakar. While cruising at 32,000 feet over Bordeaux, pilots declared a mid-air emergency (squawk 7700) and turned back to the French capital.
Reports say a female passenger suddenly became aggressive, pacing the cabin before trying to strangle the flight’s purser. Witnesses heard her scream, “I want to kill.” She also allegedly bit the cabin chief during the struggle.
Crew Spring Into Action – Flight Returns Safely
Crew members quickly restrained the attacker as pilots safely diverted the plane back to CDG. After 1 hour and 43 minutes in the air, the flight landed without further incident.
Air France confirmed the situation was handled according to safety protocols and the passenger was removed immediately upon landing.
Flight Resumes Journey After Incident
The plane took off again at 21:28 CEST and landed in Dakar about five hours later. The woman is believed to have been experiencing a serious mental health episode. French authorities have launched an investigation into the shocking mid-air incident.
