PARIS (Kaab TV) – French airline Air France has temporarily suspended all flights over the Red Sea after the crew of an aircraft reported seeing a “luminous object at high altitude” while flying near Sudan.
The incident involved Air France Flight 934, a Boeing 777-200ER traveling from Paris to Madagascar, which declared an emergency on Sunday due to a “technical issue.”
The aircraft, which departed from Charles de Gaulle Airport at 10:44 a.m., was diverted back to Paris and landed seven hours later.
Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, a Madagascan politician on board the flight, confirmed the event on social media.
He stated, “The news about the Air France flight is correct because I am on the flight. A missile passed by a plane in front of us, but it wasn’t shot—that’s the reason for returning to France. There was a missile in the air over Sudan today.”
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Air France said: “As a precautionary measure, Air France has decided to suspend flights over the Red Sea area until further notice. As a result, the itinerary of some of its flights has been modified. Depending on their location, some aircraft may have turned around and returned to land at their departure airport, such as flight AF934 from Paris to Antananarivo.”
The airline emphasized that “the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute imperative” and noted that it actively monitors geopolitical developments in the regions it serves to maintain the highest standards of safety and security.