Air France Flight (Rep Image)
Photo : iStock
An Air France flight from Paris to Chicago was forced to turn around mid-flight after reportedly being denied landing clearance at its destination. Flight AF136, operated by an Airbus A350-900 (registration F-HUVR), took off from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) at 12:49 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 28, 2025. The flight was going to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and followed a usual transatlantic route via the UK.
According to data from FlightRadar24, the aircraft reached cruising altitude and was flying over the mid-Atlantic between Iceland and Greenland when the crew decided to reverse and go back. Air France said there were “operational reasons” for the return but did not offer any other specific details, reported Aviation A2Z.
As per a passenger who contacted AIRLIVE, the plane was turned around because it did not receive landing authorization at Chicago O’Hare, Aviation A2Z reported.
The plane landed safely back at Paris-CDG at 7:26 p.m. local time, around 6 hours and 37 minutes after departure. Air France arranged overnight accommodations for all the passengers and rebooked them on a replacement flight.
The substitute service, flight AF4080, departed from Paris to Chicago the next day, Sunday, June 29, at 2:20 p.m. local time. Airline staff assisted affected passengers at the airport.