Air Corsica flight XK777 departed Orly Airport in Paris at 9:50 PM on 15/9 and was scheduled to land at Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport on the Mediterranean island of Corsica at 11:25 PM.
As the aircraft approached the airport, the pilot made repeated attempts to contact the control tower but received no response. The plane was forced to circle over the sea while waiting for clearance to land. The captain also announced the possibility of diverting to the nearby Bastia Airport if the situation remained unresolved.
The flight crew eventually contacted the airport fire service. Authorities found the sole air traffic controller on duty asleep. The runway lights on the 2,400-meter runway were only activated after the controller woke up. The plane landed safely at 12:35 AM on 16/9, 70 minutes behind schedule.
"In my several decades-long career, I have never encountered such a situation," the flight captain said.
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Air Corsica flight XK777 circled over the Mediterranean Sea for about 30 minutes after being unable to land in Corsica due to the sleeping air traffic controller, on the night of 15/9. Photo: FlightRadar24 |
The French Civil Aviation Authority reported that the air traffic controller tested negative for alcohol and drugs. The SNCTA air traffic control union stated that the incident highlighted the issue of understaffing and overwork at smaller airports like Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte.
A similar incident occurred in Australia in late 2022 when a staff member at the Brisbane Air Traffic Services Centre was found asleep while in charge of controlling Cairns Airport.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) later concluded that fatigue was the primary factor, as the employee had worked multiple consecutive night shifts without adequate rest.
Minh Phuong (Straitstimes, Aerospace Global News)
