Passenger Plane Had to Circle Over the Sea Because the Air Traffic Controller Fell Asleep

A passenger plane flying from Paris to Corsica had to circle several times over the airport due to a sleeping air traffic controller. According to "MIR 24," citing France’s Civil Aviation Authority, the controller failed to turn on the runway lights at Ajaccio Airport, which has only one landing strip.

As a result, the aircraft was unable to land and had to circle over the Mediterranean Sea for 18 minutes. During that time, the airport’s fire service personnel tried to contact the control tower, but were unsuccessful — and eventually called the police. Law enforcement officers arrived and had to physically wake up the sleeping staff member.

Afterward, the plane landed safely. The police chief said that in his decades-long career, this was the first incident of its kind. Nevertheless, everyone remained calm, and the passengers reportedly reacted to the situation with good humor.

The investigation later confirmed that the air traffic control employee was not intoxicated. However, disciplinary measures are being considered, the report noted.