CBP diverts Air France flight from Detroit over Ebola-linked passenger
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An Air France flight bound for Detroit was rerouted to Canada midway through the journey after officials realized a passenger with ties to the Ebola outbreak site in Africa had “accidentally” boarded the plane, officials said Wednesday.
The plane landed in Montreal on Wednesday after taking off from France with a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“Due to entry restrictions imposed to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” the spokesman said.
CBP “took decisive action” to prohibit the aircraft from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, according to the statement.
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An Airbus A320 Air France aircraft taxis at Fiumicino airport, Italy, on May 1, 2026. (AllShotLive/Sipa USA)
The passenger was removed from the plane after landing in Montreal. FOX2Detroit The report stated that the person had not been confirmed to be infected with Ebola as of Wednesday evening.
Fox News Digital reached out to Air France for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The United States on Monday implemented enhanced travel screenings, entry restrictions and public health measures amid the expanding Ebola outbreak in East and Central Africa. Travel restrictions affect those who have been to Congo, Uganda and South Sudan in recent weeks.
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The outbreak involves a rare strain of Ebola known as Bundibugyo virus. The disease spread unnoticed for weeks after the first known death, officials said.
A woman cries as Red Cross workers carry the coffin of a person who died of Ebola at a health center in Rwampara, Congo, on May 20, 2026. (Musa Sawasawa/AP)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 139 suspicious deaths and nearly 600 suspected cases so far. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that 51 cases had been confirmed in Congo’s northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu and two cases in Uganda.
One of WHO’s special advisors, Dr. Vasee Moorthy said a vaccine to target Bundibugyo will not be available for at least six to nine months.
A visitor washes his hands at a checkpoint before entering Kyeshero Hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 18, 2026, as part of Ebola prevention measures following a reported case in the city. (Jospin Mwisha/AFP)
The WHO also said that “patient zero” could not be found as health authorities were trying to identify the source of the virus.
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Ebola virus is highly contagious and spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and sometimes internal and external bleeding.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
