Air traffic controller’s nap strands tourists to Corsica mid-air

The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is seen at sunset, Feb. 1, 2025, in Arlington, Va.. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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.”