Runways temporarily closed at Paris airport as drones deployed to search for missing dog

One of Europe’s busiest airports temporarily closed two of its runways on Tuesday as part of search efforts to find a missing dog. 

The pet escaped from its carrier a week ago at Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle Airport and has not yet been found. 

The animal and its owner were travelling on an Air France flight from Vienna and had landed in Paris for a layover before continuing on to Dallas. 

Air France says that staff, volunteers and transport police are working round the clock to find the dog. 

Dog escapes from aircraft hold during unloading

A week ago, Croatian tourist Míša launched an appeal on social media to find her dog, Amalka, who escaped from the cargo hold of her plane upon landing at Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

The door of Amalka’s crate had likely become loose during mid-flight turbulence and came undone during unloading, Air France said. 

The airline is one of a growing number that allows pets to travel in the cabin, but only those under 8kg - at 15 kg, Amalka had to travel in the hold. 

Owner Míša told French media that she is extremely distressed by the incident and has remained in Paris to help with search efforts. 

"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," Míša told French newspaper Le Parisien.

Airport deploys drones to search for missing dog

Two-year-old Amalka has evaded attempts so far to be reunited with her owner and is still roaming the nearly 33-kilometre square airport. 

"The animal has been seen and approached several times, but so far it has not been possible to capture it,” a spokesperson for Air France told press.

"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."

On Tuesday, airport officials decided to deploy drones to help search for Amalka. The operation required the closure of two of the facility’s four parallel runways. 

The operation was scheduled for early afternoon to keep flight disruption to a minimum. 

Charles-de-Gaulle is one of Europe’s busiest airports handling 67 million passengers in 2023. 

Last week, a TAP Air Portugal flight was grounded in another incident of an animal crate accidentally opening. 

130 hamsters managed to escape, raising concerns they might chew through the aircraft’s wiring. 

The plane was held at an airport in the Azores for several days as ground staff sought to recapture all the animals.