Dog found and reunited with owner 9 days after escaping from plane at Paris airport, forcing closure of runways

A dog whose escape from a plane caused the closure of two runways at France's biggest airport has been reunited with its owner after nine days at large, Air France said.

Authorities closed two runways at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Tuesday while officials tried to capture Amalka the dog.

Since Amalka, a female, slipped out of a carrier cage on November 19 during an unloading operation, there has been an intense search for the pet, owned by an Austrian tourist who flew to France on Air France from Vienna.

“After several days of intense searches, we are delighted to confirm that Amalka has been found and returned to her owner,” Air France said in a statement to AFP.

Airport police deployed a search drone on Tuesday, requiring the closures of the runways.

They picked the off-peak early afternoon for the operation, thus avoiding any impact on scheduled flights.

After the dog escaped, several search parties were launched, including at night and in the presence of the owner, whose hotel costs at Charles de Gaulle were covered by Air France.

Posters were put up to alert airport staff.

The animal was finally found in a park in Dammartin-en-Goele, a town close to the airport, according to Le Parisien daily.

The paper posted a video of Amalka and her owner being reunited, the pet wagging her tail in delight while her owner hugged her.

“Both will be able to travel to their final destination soon,” Air France added.

Charles de Gaulle, with its four runways, vies with Amsterdam's Schiphol for the top spot as the European Union's busiest airport.

In September 2023, a similar incident unfolded at one of the busiest transit hubs in the U.S. when a Chihuahua mix named Maia escaped from her carrier and ran onto an active runway at Atlanta's airport. The incident occurred while the dog was being transferred between Delta Air Lines and the airport after her owner was detained for not having the proper documents to enter the U.S. Maia was eventually found by a Good Samaritan after 22 days on the tarmac