Passengers on a flight from Paris to Corsica were left hanging mid-air after an air traffic controller on the ground took a mid-shift snooze, France's civil aviation authority said Wednesday.
After the worker dozed off on Monday, the Air Corsica flight from Paris Orly airport to Ajaccio was forced to fly around in circles above the Mediterranean Sea for "18 minutes", the authority told AFP, confirming a report in Corse Matin.
"The intervention of the airport fire department at the control tower revealed that the air traffic controller on duty had fallen asleep at his post," the aviation authority added.
After the controller was woken up, "the flight landed safely," the authority said, adding that it had opened an investigation into the "unusual situation".
Though the controller had tested negative for alcohol, "a possible sanction is under consideration."
Cases of air traffic controllers sleeping on duty have occurred, such as two separate incidents in 2011 at Washington's Reagan National Airport, where flights landed without assistance because the sole controller on duty fell asleep.
Another notable incident was a more serious 2006 crash in Kentucky attributed to a fatigued controller's error.
These incidents highlight ongoing concerns about controller fatigue, understaffing, and inadequate rest periods between shifts, which are often cited as contributing factors.
