It’s not uncommon for aircraft to need to circle airports occasionally, typically due to another flight running behind schedule, or a temporary blockage on the runway. But yesterday evening, travellers aboard Air Corsica flight XK777 endured an additional thirty minutes airborne above Corsica’s Napoléon Bonaparte airport for the most peculiar of reasons.
When the Airbus A320 arrived in Ajaccio from Paris—already an hour behind schedule—it found the runway lights switched off and received no response from air traffic control.
The crew placed the aircraft in a holding pattern over the Mediterranean while repeatedly trying to contact the tower. Flight data shows it circled for at least 20 minutes.
The cause soon became clear: the airport’s sole duty controller had fallen asleep at his post.
The pilots even considered diverting to Bastia Airport on the opposite side of the island, but in a final attempt managed to reach the airport’s fire service.
Eventually, staff were dispatched to the tower to wake the controller. The runway lights were switched on, and the aircraft landed safely at 00:35 local time.
“The fire personnel got no response from the tower and alerted the gendarmerie,” the captain told Corse Matin.
“In a career of several decades I have never faced such a situation,” he added. “We did a little tour. At no point was there panic—everyone stayed calm.”
A spokesperson for the French aviation authority confirmed: “The airport fire department’s intervention revealed that the controller on duty had fallen asleep.”
Passengers eventually disembarked around 80 minutes late, nearly doubling the flight’s duration. Drug and alcohol tests on the controller were negative, but a wider investigation is under way.
Although no injuries occurred, the incident has reignited concerns over staffing at smaller airports such as Ajaccio. The main French air traffic control union, SNCTA, has long warned of shortages and overwork, which have already triggered multiple strikes.
The upcoming strike is scheduled for next month, from the morning of Tuesday, 7 October to the morning of Friday, 10 October. It’s anticipated to cause travel disruption across the country, something the union claims is inevitable because of current government turmoil.
A union spokesperson commented: “The absence of a minister of transport currently makes it impossible to achieve demands at the ministerial level.”
Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, has called on the European Commission to intervene and ensure that French airspace remains open for aircraft flying to destinations beyond France. “The French can go on strike, but Europe must protect overflights,” he insisted.
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control authority, has noted that France is notorious for some of the most disruptive strikes in Europe.
