This is the moment oxygen masks dropped ahead of an emergency landing in Paris after the loss of cabin pressure on an Air France flight.

Footage shows oxygen masks being deployed as the Airbus A318 encountered a technical issue shortly after the flight took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at around 9.30pm on Friday.

The plane, which was bound for Barcelona, Spain, experienced a cabin pressurisation malfunction 17 minutes into the flight.

The crew declared an emergency situation at around 9.45pm and the pilot was forced to return to Paris for an emergency landing, with the plane quickly descending to a safe altitude of 8,000 feet.

The 18-year-old aircraft, registered F-GUGR, landed safely at Charles de Gaulle Airport at 10.12pm.

No injuries were reported among the crew members or passengers.

Flight AF1448 and the return flight AF1449 were cancelled so that technical inspections could be carried out on the plane.

Affected passengers were assisted by Air France teams at the airport. They ended up taking alternative flights to their destination.

The airline apologised for the inconvenience caused.

An Air France spokesperson stated: 'We can confirm that the crew of flight AF1448 on 3rd January 2005, from Paris CDG to Barcelona BCN operated by Airbus 318, decided to return to its base after 17 minutes of flight due to cabin pressure malfunction.

'Air France crews are trained regularly to manage this type of situation in accordance with the manufacturer's procedures.'

They said the oxygen masks were activated by crew members because 'the automatic mask drop altitude had not yet been reached'.

The airline added: 'Air France regrets the inconvenience due to this situation and reminds that the safety of its customers and crew members is its absolute imperative.'

An investigation into the cause of the uncontrolled decompression issue is ongoing.