The crew found that the runway lights had been switched off. Photo credit score: Wirestock/Freepik
An Air Corsica Airbus A320 was pressured to stay in a holding sample for almost an hour over Ajaccio after the only real air visitors controller on responsibility reportedly fell asleep, elevating questions on staffing and operational procedures at airport management towers. The flight, which departed Paris Orly late on September 15 , was scheduled to land at Ajaccio’s Napoléon-Bonaparte Airport round midnight.
As the plane approached the airport, the crew found that the runway lights had been switched off and repeated radio calls to the management tower went unanswered, in response to La Razón. With no steering out there from the tower, the pilots initiated a holding sample over the Gulf of Ajaccio whereas coordinating with emergency providers to research the state of affairs on the bottom. Airport firefighters had been dispatched to the management tower and, discovering no response, contacted native police. After almost an hour of circling, communication was lastly restored when the runway lights had been switched on and radio contact with the tower was reestablished. Investigators later confirmed that the only real controller on responsibility had fallen asleep. Tests dominated out alcohol or medicine, suggesting that exhaustion was the trigger.
The Airbus landed safely at 00:35. Passengers remained calm all through the delay, with some reportedly joking that they had been having fun with an unplanned “night-time sightseeing” tour of Ajaccio from the air. The plane’s delay lasted roughly 70 minutes. There isn’t any confirmed details about whether or not it resumed its schedule instantly afterward, however authorities emphasised that passenger security was by no means compromised through the occasion.
Following the incident, authorities started reviewing procedures and are anticipated to introduce measures aimed toward stopping a recurrence. These measures could embrace changes to staffing ranges, modifications to shift schedules, and extra monitoring or backup protocols throughout the tower. The purpose of those modifications is to make sure that future flights can land safely with out delays brought on by lapses in consideration. The French Civil Aviation Authority has declined to touch upon the matter, whereas Air Corsica has acknowledged that it’s cooperating totally with investigators. Officials confirmed that the plane maintained ample gasoline reserves to stay airborne safely and that pilots adopted normal holding procedures till the runway may very well be accessed.
Although no passengers or crew had been harmed, the incident prompted a evaluation of in a single day staffing at Napoléon-Bonaparte Airport. The presence of just one controller meant that any short-term lapse may have affected dozens of passengers and crew, even when no instant hazard occurred. Authorities are contemplating whether or not extra safeguards, equivalent to obligatory secondary monitoring or alert programs, must be carried out to stop related occasions sooner or later. The flight finally landed with out incident, and investigators proceed to look at the sequence of occasions to find out whether or not staffing and operational procedures meet present security requirements.
