Paris Airport Runways Close As Drones Deployed To Find Missing Dog

Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle Airport temporarily closed its runways recently as drones were deployed to search for a missing dog. It seems the door of Amalka’s crate has likely come loose during mid-flight turbulence and came open during unloading. The terrified dog quickly escaped.

Missing dog sees Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle Airport closing its runways

Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle Airport recently had to temporarily close two of its runways as part of search efforts to find a missing dog. The pet, whose name is Amalka, escaped from her carrier more than a week ago.

Croatian tourist Míša was traveling with Amalka on an Air France flight from Vienna, which had landed in Paris for a layover before continuing on to Dallas. It is believed that the door of the crate came open during turbulence on the flight and as it was being unloaded, the dog escaped from the open door.

According to Air France, staff, transport police and volunteers were working around the clock to find the dog. Amalka’s owner Míša launched an appeal on social media a week ago to find her dog, who escaped from the cargo hold on landing at Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

Pets on Air France flights

Air France is one of a growing number of airlines that allows pets to travel in the cabin, but only those under 8 kg in weight. Amalka is 15 kg, so she had to travel in her crate in the plane’s hold.

Meanwhile, Amalka’s owner Míša told the French media how extremely distressed she was from the incident and she stayed in Paris to help in the dog’s search.

Speaking to the French newspaper, Le Parisien, she said:

I have ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder] and Amalka was trained to be my emotional support dog. In situations like this, she’s usually there for me.

Airport deploys drones to search for missing dog

Meanwhile, the airport continued in its search for two-year-old Amalka, who evaded attempts to be reunited with her owner. 

A spokesperson for Air France told the media:

The animal has been seen and approached several times, but so far it has not been possible to capture it.

Air France understands and shares the emotion and concern of the owner of Amalka who has been assisting since day one. The company is taking care of her stay during this search.

Tuesday this week saw airport officials deploying drones to help in the search for the dog, which required the closure of two of the airport’s four parallel runways. Meanwhile, the operation was scheduled for early afternoon to keep flight disruption to a minimum.

Reportedly, Charles-de-Gaulle is one of Europe’s busiest airports as in 2023 it handled 67 million passengers.

Amalka has been found!

After nine days of searching, Amalka has been found. A video shared by Le Parisien revealed the errant pup, wagging her tail as her owner embraced her. Moreover, Air France confirmed the reunion, adding that both owner and pet will soon continue their journey to their final destination.

Another animal escape

Meanwhile, a similar incident grounded a TAP Air Portugal flight after another animal crate accidentally opened. In this case, 130 hamsters managed to escape their crate, which led to concerns that the animals might chew through the plane’s wiring.

In that incident, the plane was held at an airport in the Azores islands for several days while ground staff tried to recapture all the tiny animals.