Air traffic controller falls asleep while on duty, Paris–Corsica flight forced to circle around in air
An Air Corsica flight was forced to circle above the Mediterranean for nearly 20 minutes after the only air traffic controller at Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport in France, fell asleep on the job.
Flight XK777 had departed from Paris Orly Airport at 10.45pm on Monday (15 Sept) and was preparing to land in Ajaccio after a 75-minute journey.
But when the crew radioed in for landing clearance, the control tower stayed silent, reports Aviation Source News (AVSN).
Runway lights left switched off
France’s civil aviation authority later revealed that the runway lights had not been switched on because the controller — who was working alone —had dozed off.
With no clearance and no lights, the pilots had no choice but to keep the plane circling above the island for about 18 minutes, according to the news site World Is One News (WION).
At one point, the crew even considered diverting to another nearby airport for landing.
Source: Flightradar24
Attempts by airport staff to reach the sleeping controller failed, so the fire crew alerted ground staff, who eventually climbed the tower and physically woke the controller up.
Once awake, the controller activated the runway systems, allowing the plane to land safely.
Passengers remained calm despite delay
The flight was delayed by about an hour in total, arriving at 12.35pm local time, though the scheduled time was 11.25pm.
Source: AirMundo
The captain later told The Times that he had never faced such a situation in decades of flying.
However, passengers reportedly stayed calm throughout, with some even finding humour in the bizarre situation.
Investigation into incident ongoing
Authorities confirmed the controller was working alone when he fell asleep.
He tested negative for alcohol but faces possible sanctions.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Also read: Japan Airlines pilot drinks alcohol a day before flight, causes delays of up to 18 hours
Japan Airlines pilot drinks alcohol a day before flight, causes delays of up to 18 hours
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Featured image adapted from AirMundo and Brett Sayles on Pexels, for illustrative purposes only.
