Paris:
Two runways at Paris's Charles-de-Gaulle airport were closed Tuesday as officials tried to capture a dog a week after it escaped from a plane, Air France and airport sources said.
Since the dog, a female, slipped out of a carrying cage during an unloading operation last Tuesday, there has been an intensive search for the pet, owned by a Croatian tourist who came to France from Vienna on Air France.
Airport police had to deploy a search drone on Tuesday, which required the closure.
“The animal has been spotted and approached several times, but it has not been possible to capture it so far,” Air France said.
A young Croatian tourist Míša has launched an appeal on social media to find her dog, which escaped from the luggage hold of her plane shortly after landing at Charles-de-Gaulle airport.
Amalka, the pet, escaped from the hold of an airplane
from AirFrance at CDG airport, coming from… pic.twitter.com/PWEnDLEffX— FL360aero (@fl360aero) November 23, 2024
The plan, airport officials said, is to get close enough to sedate the animal with a hypodermic needle.
They chose early afternoon off-peak hours for the operation, avoiding any impact on scheduled flights.
Since the dog escaped, several searches have been launched, including at night and in the presence of the owner, whose hotel costs at Charles-de-Gaulle are covered by Air France.
Posters have been put up to warn airport staff.
Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle, with its four runways, competes with Amsterdam's Schiphol for the top spot among the European Union's busiest airports.
