An Air France Boeing 787-9 operating from Buenos Aires to Paris diverted to Tenerife after crew detected a burning odour on 3 July 2024.
Air France flight AF471 was en route over the Atlantic Ocean from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Whilst in the cruise, flight crew reported detecting the smell of burning on board.
Air France AF471 Buenos Aires-Paris
The crew then made the decision to divert to nearby Tenerife South Airport (TFS) as a precautionary measure.
Crew then landed the aircraft landed Tenerife without further incident, just over one hour after the diversion was initiated.
Authorities have not formally confirmed the cause of the odour. The airline later reported that they diverted the flight due to the possible presence of smoke on board.
Flight Details
Flight data shows that flight AF471 made an on-time departure out of Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE). Departure was logged as 00:07 local time on two July.
The flight had set course normally, climbing to flight level FL370 (37,000 feet) for the trans-Atlantic crossing to France.
The aircraft was cruising west of Tenerife when the crew initiated the diversion.
The aircraft conducting the AF471 service from Buenos Aires was a Boeing 787-9, registered F-HRBF.
This is a 6.3-year-old wide-body aircraft belonging to the national carrier Air France. It has been operational service with the airline since its initial delivery in April 2018.
Tenerife South Airport
Tenerife South Airport, also known as Tenerife South-Reina Sofia Airport. It is one of two international airports on the island of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. Here are some key points about the airport:
- Location: It’s situated in the southern part of Tenerife. This is near the tourist areas of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos.
- Importance: It’s a major gateway for tourists visiting Tenerife, handling millions of passengers annually.
- History: The airport opened in 1978, partly in response to the tragic collision at Tenerife North Airport in 1977.
- Facilities: It has one main terminal building and is equipped to handle wide-body aircraft.
- Airlines and destinations: The airport serves numerous European destinations, with many flights to and from the UK, Germany, and other European countries.
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