An Air France Boeing 777-300 was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing at its departure airport on Reunion Island after the crew reported smoke being present in the cockpit.
Flight AF-671 took off from Reunion Island’s Saint-Denis Roland Garros Airport at 9:00pm local time on Saturday, 11 July 2020.
The plane was en route to Paris Charles de Gaulle with 468 passengers and 22 crew on board when the pilots made the decision to turn around to return to Reunion.
The aircraft landed back at Saint-Denis on runway 14, about 4:47 hours after its initial departure. The plane then taxied to the apron.
Local media reported that the crew flagged smoke in the cockpit as the reason for the emergency landing, however, the airline officially reported that the decision was made due to a “technical problem”.
Later, it was said that the crew reported an unusual odour and a smell of smoke within the cabin, which then found its way into the cockpit.
The crew donned their oxygen masks and requested that fire services meet the plane upon arrival.
The flight was postponed by 24 hours, and took off once more the following day at 9:00pm local time, arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle at 5:27am local time.
