An Air Corsica flight from Paris to Ajaccio was left circling above the Mediterranean after the airport’s sole air traffic controller fell asleep in the tower, according to reports from France 24. The Airbus A320 was approaching Ajaccio’s Napoléon Bonaparte Airport on the French mediterranean island of Corsica shortly after midnight Tuesday when radio calls went unanswered, forcing the aircraft to hold for 18 minutes before eventually landing safely.
Airport emergency personnel were dispatched to the tower when the pilots could not make contact, The Times reported. Although security measures initially slowed access to the control room, they eventually reached the controller, who was asleep at a desk.
“In a career of several decades I have never had to handle such a situation,” the flight’s captain told local newspaper, Corse Matin.
Representatives of the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) said the controller tested negative for any alcohol or drugs, but that the agency has launched an internal investigation and is considering a possible sanction.
Ajaccio’s airport typically handles more than 50 flights each day. Officials noted the flight was an hour delayed before departure from Paris.
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