An Air France Airbus A318 aircraft was compelled to return to Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport after experiencing cabin depressurization on January 3, 2025. The plane, identified as F-GUGR, was operating flight AF1448 from Paris to Barcelona when the crew decided to turn back shortly after takeoff.
The incident occurred 17 minutes into the flight, prompting the crew to initiate an emergency landing. Video footage later surfaced on social media showing oxygen masks being deployed in the cabin. A spokesperson for Air France confirmed the situation and stated that "the crew of flight AF1448...decided to return to its base after 17 minutes of flight due to cabin pressure malfunction."
Air France emphasized that their crews are trained regularly for such scenarios in line with manufacturer guidelines. The airline noted that "the automatic mask drop altitude had not yet been reached," so the crew manually activated the oxygen masks.