Air France Flight Returns to Kansai Airport after Indications of Malfunctions

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:48 JST, May 29, 2023

An Air France flight bound for Paris was forced to turn back to Kansai International Airport following indications of system malfunctions on Sunday.

The Kansai Airport office of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said that Air France flight 291 returned about three hours after takeoff when its warning lights indicated problems with its weather radar, speedometer and other equipment.

None of the 324 passengers and crew on board were injured, but a large dent was discovered in the nose of the Airbus A350-900 plane. The airport office is investigating whether the damage had any connection with the malfunctions.

The flight departed Kansai around 11:15 a.m. on Sunday bound for Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport. While flying over the ocean off Miyagi Prefecture, the warning indicators turned on, prompting the crew to declare an emergency. It landed at the airport at around 2:25 p.m.

There have been documented instances of bird strikes — collisions between birds and aircrafts — causing damage to the body of the aircraft.