Sleeping French air traffic controller leaves Corsica flight circling in darkness

A French passenger plane approaching Corsica’s main airport was forced to circle in the air for nearly 20 minutes after the only air traffic controller on duty fell asleep, preventing the aircraft from landing.

The incident occurred on the evening of September 16 as an Air Corsica Airbus A320 was flying from Paris to Ajaccio’s Napoléon Bonaparte airport. As the aircraft prepared to land on the 2,400-metre runway, repeated attempts by the pilots to contact the control tower went unanswered, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Firefighters and police were dispatched to the scene after emergency services were alerted that the tower was unresponsive. The aircraft circled overhead for 18 minutes while awaiting clearance. At one point, pilots considered diverting to Bastia, located on the other side of the Mediterranean island, as it was too dark to descend without guidance.

“The fire personnel got no response from the tower and alerted the gendarmerie,” the captain told the local newspaper. “In a career of several decades, I have never had to handle such a situation. We did a little tour. At no time was there any panic. Everyone stayed calm. The passengers treated the incident with good humour.”

The flight had already been delayed for an hour before departure. On arrival, the airport’s ground staff, including firefighters, attempted to access the control tower to check on the staff member, but were held back by security measures. When they finally managed to gain entry, they discovered the air traffic controller asleep at his desk.

He was quickly woken, switched on the runway lights, and cleared the aircraft to land. The plane touched down safely, without further incident.

The controller was later tested for drugs and alcohol, but the results came back negative. The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched. According to the authority, the controller will soon meet with an occupational health doctor and his supervisor, with disciplinary action under consideration.

The DGAC denied that staffing shortages had caused the incident, saying: “The staffing levels were in accordance with requirements, with two controllers present, the second of whom was on a break for a period of four hours.”

French air traffic controllers have long raised concerns about pay, working conditions, and fatigue. Earlier this week, the SNCTA union announced that a planned strike by controllers in September had been postponed until October following the collapse of the French government.

By Tamilla Hasanova