Detroit-bound flight diverted to Canada after passenger from Congo boarded ‘in error’ amid Ebola outbreak

U.S. newsDetroit-bound flight diverted to Canada after passenger from Congo boarded ‘in error’ amid Ebola outbreakThe passenger shouldn’t have boarded the aircraft because of “entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus,” a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00An Air France plane in May.Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty Images ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 21, 2026, 12:40 AM EDTBy Joe Kottke and Alex LoAn Air France flight bound for Detroit was redirected to Canada after a passenger from Congo boarded “in error” amid the Ebola outbreak in central Africa, officials said Wednesday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the agency took “decisive action” by prohibiting the flight from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The flight departed from Paris and landed in Montreal shortly after 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to data from the tracker FlightAware.“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” the CBP spokesperson said in a statement. Montreal Trudeau International Airport directed requests for more information to Air France, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday that the U.S. will restrict entry for people without U.S. passports who were in Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the last three weeks. The restriction is in effect for the next 30 days.In a notice submitted to the Federal Register set to be published Thursday, CPB and the Department of Homeland Security announced new arrival restrictions directing all flights to the U.S. with passengers who have recently traveled to Congo, Uganda or South Sudan to land at Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia.The restrictions...