French jet left circling while Corsican controller caught Zs

Wake-up call for dozed and confused chap who had to turn on runway lights

In the high-stress and safety-critical world of air traffic control, "don't fall asleep" probably comes pretty far toward the top of the rule book, and yet that's apparently the reason for the landing delay of an Air Corsica Airbus A320 this week.

The French jet departed from Paris Orly late on September 15 and was scheduled to arrive at Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport on the western side of the Mediterranean island at around midnight, a time when even the blackest of coffees struggle to prop up sagging eyelids.

On approach, the Airbus crew hailed the control tower and was met with deafening silence – a concerning development for the 100-minute flight as the 2.4 km runway was not illuminated, lost in the darkness of night.

Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport

With the flight running an hour late, only one controller was left on duty, but it was the pilots who ended up playing a waiting game. In communication with more responsive regional controllers, they decided to circle the Gulf of Ajaccio until the situation on the ground could be ascertained. That ended up taking an hour.

"The fire personnel got no response from the tower and alerted the gendarmerie," said the captain, as relayed by The Times.

Though locks on the tower thwarted initial attempts to check on the silent controller, airport staff eventually climbed the stairs to find him catching 40 winks at his desk.

We can imagine his embarrassment at being suddenly awoken surrounded by exasperated colleagues then having to sheepishly flick a switch to light up the landing strip so the flight could call an end to its Corsican peregrination.

"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 captain said, adding that the passengers reacted to the incident with levity.

Back on the ground, the controller reportedly tested negative for drugs and alcohol. Had the situation been more severe than simple somnolence, the Airbus crew planned to divert to Bastia on the other side of the island.

Neither Ajaccio airport nor the French Civil Aviation Authority would be drawn to comment. The dozy controller's fate is unknown.

France's air traffic controllers – civil servants often accused of having a flair for downing tools – have a long history of strikes, citing exhaustion and stressful shifts brought on by too few staff.

They're also some of the best-paid in the business, with top earners pocketing up to €120,000 (around $140k) a year, and can wave goodbye to the tower with a full pension as early as 50 because of the intense nature of the job. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control authority, has grumbled that no one causes more chaos in European skies than the French when they walk out.

To get a sense of what's at stake, air traffic controllers for Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were reportedly in tears and suffering heart palpitations when all radar and radio equipment failed back in May, severing comms with aircraft for a whole 90 seconds.

We know stress can be a trigger for narcolepsy, but come on. ®