This is the moment oxygen masks fall off before an emergency landing in Paris following loss of cabin pressure on an Air France flight.
Footage shows the deployment of oxygen masks as the Airbus A318 encountered a technical problem shortly after the flight took off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris at around 9.30pm on Friday.
The plane, which was headed to Barcelona, Spain, experienced a cabin pressurization failure 17 minutes into the flight.
The crew declared an emergency situation at around 9:45 p.m. and the pilot was forced to return to Paris for an emergency landing, and the plane rapidly descended to a safe altitude of 8,000 feet.
The plane, 18 years old and with registration F-GUGR, landed safely at Charles de Gaulle airport at 10:12 p.m.
No injuries were reported among the crew or passengers.
Flight AF1448 and return flight AF1449 were canceled so that technical inspections could be carried out on the aircraft.
The affected passengers were assisted by Air France teams at the airport. They ended up taking alternative flights to their destination.
Footage shows oxygen masks deployed as Air France flight AF1448 descended rapidly after the Airbus A318 suffered a technical problem shortly after the flight took off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
This is the moment oxygen masks fall before an emergency landing in Paris after loss of cabin pressure on an Air France flight
The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused.
An Air France spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the crew of flight AF1448 of 3 January 2005, from Paris CDG to Barcelona BCN operated by Airbus 318, decided to return to their base after 17 minutes of flight due to a malfunction. of cabin pressure.
“Air France crews receive regular training to manage these types of situations in accordance with the manufacturer’s procedures.”
They said crew members activated the oxygen masks because “the mask’s automatic drop altitude had not yet been reached.”
The airline added: “Air France regrets the inconvenience caused by this situation and remembers that the safety of its customers and crew members is its absolute necessity.”
An investigation is underway into the cause of the uncontrolled decompression problem.