French Jet Circles for Hour as Sleeping Controller Delays Landing

An Air Corsica Airbus A320-200neo was forced to circle for nearly an hour over Corsica after the sole air traffic controller on duty at Ajaccio’s Napoléon Bonaparte Airport reportedly fell asleep and left the runway lights off.

Flight XK-777 from Paris Orly to Ajaccio, registration F-HXKJ, had already departed with a 55-minute delay and was descending shortly after midnight on Tuesday when the control tower failed to respond to repeated radio calls. With runway 02 unlit and no clearance to land, the crew stopped their descent at FL150 and held over the Gulf of Ajaccio while considering a diversion to Bastia on the opposite side of the island.

According to local newspaper Corse Matin, only one controller was on duty awaiting the delayed flight. The second controller assigned to the shift was taking a rest break. The captain eventually contacted the airport’s fire department directly, which then alerted police. Security locks on the tower doors reportedly slowed access, but staff climbed the tower stairs and found the controller asleep at his desk. They woke him up, he switched on the runway lights and cleared the Airbus to land.

France’s Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) confirmed the controller had fallen asleep and opened an investigation. The controller was tested for alcohol and drugs, but results were negative. The aircraft landed safely with sufficient fuel and no injuries, and DGAC emphasized that the tower had been staffed according to regulations despite the lapse.

“It was a first in my decades-long career,” the captain told local media. “We did a little tour. At no time was there any panic. Everyone stayed calm.” He said passengers treated the incident with good humour despite the unusual delay.

Ajaccio Airport, which handles more than 50 commercial flights a day, declined to comment. The Airbus had been in communication with area approach controllers throughout and was prepared to divert if necessary.

The incident comes against a backdrop of frequent strikes and staffing issues among French air traffic controllers. Civil servants in the profession are among the highest paid in the world—some earning up to €120,000 a year—and can retire on full pensions between 50 and 59. Eurocontrol has described France as having some of Europe’s most disruptive air traffic control strikes, with unions citing understaffing, fatigue and stress as chronic problems.

The near-hour delay at Ajaccio highlights the risks of single-person overnight staffing at regional airports and raises new questions about fatigue management and contingency planning in French air traffic control.


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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, thetimes.com