A nap in the control tower delayed a plane's landing for 18 minutes!

In a strange incident that nearly turned into an air crisis, passengers on a French plane circled over the Mediterranean Sea for a full 18 minutes after a traffic controller at a control tower in one of the airports in Corsica, southern France, fell asleep!

The incident occurred last Monday when a flight from Air Corsica was heading from Paris Orly Airport to the city of Ajaccio in Corsica, but it failed to land upon reaching the airspace due to the control tower's lack of response.

The French civil aviation authority revealed yesterday, Wednesday, that the plane had to circle the area for nearly 20 minutes, waiting for landing permission that never came due to the on-duty controller at Ajaccio Airport sleeping.

According to the authority, the airport management had to send fire teams to ensure the controller's safety, and upon entering the control tower, it was found that the responsible employee was asleep during his shift!

Once awakened, he immediately resumed his duties, and the plane was able to land safely without any injuries or damages, much to the relief of the passengers and crew after minutes of tension and anticipation.

The authority confirmed that the alcohol test conducted on the controller after the incident was negative, but it opened an official investigation into the "unusual situation," as it described, and is currently considering the possibility of imposing a penalty on the concerned controller.

The incident sparked widespread reactions in the French media after the local newspaper "Corse Matin" published details of it, later confirmed by the authority, emphasizing its commitment to reviewing safety and air traffic control procedures to prevent such incidents from recurring.

While no potential penalties have been announced yet, the investigation is expected to yield decisive decisions, especially with growing concerns about the impact of fatigue or staff shortages in air traffic control towers.