Italian pilot fell asleep, traffic control went on terror alert

When the pilot of the Italian airline company did not respond to the calls of the traffic control centre in the French airspace, the warplanes went on terror alert. The pilot, who was found to be asleep while the French authorities were in a state of panic, was fired.

The Airbus A330 flight from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport to Rome–Fiumicino International Airport did not respond to calls from the air traffic control centre as it passed through French airspace, TRT Haber reports.

After 10 minutes of no contact with the plane, the French air control centre was put on alert.

Two French warplanes took off urgently to intercept the flight and ascertain the situation.

A terrorist attack was warned.

An attempt was made to reach the flight crew for 10 minutes via satellite phones and then ACARS (Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System) messages.

After 10 minutes of vigilance, a connection was established with the flight crew.

The exact cause of the incident was not disclosed by the airline or authorities.

However, the Italian daily newspaper Repubblica, which first reported the incident, claimed that the incident happened after the captain fell asleep.

While the flight crew denied the claim and cited a malfunction in the communication system, no malfunction was detected in the system during the investigation.

The pilot was fired after it was finally realized that the captain had fallen asleep.