Flight from Paris delayed due to a sleeping air traffic controller: how the plane circled around the airport.

The pilot was forced to circle above the airport due to the air traffic controller's sleep

According to The Sun: The pilot of the flight from Paris to Corsica had to circle above the airport because the only air traffic controller fell asleep at his post.

Passengers of Air Corsica found themselves in the air waiting for a breakthrough in the situation as the controller dozed during his shift.

The plane circled the airport for almost 20 minutes while officials tried to resolve the issue.

According to the French civil aviation authority, the plane circled over the Mediterranean for 18 minutes. After the ground controller in Ajaccio fell asleep, the flight from Orly airport in Paris was left uncontrolled.

The pilot had to plan an alternative route for landing as landing at the intended airport seemed unlikely.

Eventually, after almost 20 minutes in the air, they were safely directed to the runway when the controller was woken up.

It turned out that he was waiting for a plane that was late by an hour and fell asleep during his shift. Since he was the only staff member on duty, no one could wake him up.

This complicated the situation: he could not activate the light signals on the only 2400-meter runway.

The situation was becoming critical, so the pilot continued to circle while the fire service tried to contact the control tower.

When attempts to communicate were unsuccessful, the police and personnel were called, who finally made it to the tower and woke the controller up.

“In my several decades of career, I have never encountered such a situation. We made a little tour.

“At no point was there panic. Everyone remained calm.”

The pilot noted that the passengers took the situation with humor and found it amusing.

Aviation authorities confirmed these incidents and reported that an investigation into the “unusual incident” has started.

Although the controller passed an alcohol test with no positive result, possible punishment is being discussed.

This is not the first case of an air traffic controller falling asleep at their station. Last year, an airport worker in Cairns, Brisbane, fell asleep during the morning shift, as reported by MailOnline.

He was found at 5:15 in the morning, asleep on two chairs under a blanket.

The cause of his sleep was fatigue after seven night shifts in nine days. Fortunately, there were no planes nearby at the time.

It is noted that such cases also occur with pilots. A year ago, two pilots of a passenger aircraft fell asleep at the controls and could not wake up from the requests of air traffic controllers during landing.

Fortunately, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET343, flying from Khartoum, Sudan, to Addis Ababa, landed without injuries on August 15.

The pilots were supposed to start descending to Addis Ababa Bole International Airport but were still flying at an altitude of 37,000 feet.

According to Aviation Herald, the control service tried to contact the pilots but unsuccessfully.

Only when the autopilot disengaged and an alarm went off did the crew wake up. Then the pilots were able to land the plane safely.

The plane eventually landed in Ajaccio at 22:39.

This incident highlights the importance of proper oversight in aviation and the risks associated with inattentiveness of controllers. Authorities are conducting an investigation to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Given the situation, all possible measures to enhance safety for both passengers and crew will be considered to avoid repeating such incidents.