Overview

• The Air Corsica flight from Paris-Orly on September 15 circled over the Gulf of Ajaccio after finding the runway unlit and the control tower unresponsive.
• The crew contacted airport firefighters, who then alerted the gendarmerie, and the captain briefed passengers calmly as a diversion to Bastia was considered.
• Reports say the sole controller on duty had fallen asleep; communications and runway lights were restored and the aircraft landed, with some outlets citing a 00:35 touchdown from flight-tracking data.
• Accounts differ on the hold time, with Franceinfo citing about twenty minutes and other outlets reporting nearly an hour.
• Local reporting describes a two-person rotation that can leave one controller alone on surveillance, highlighting an operational vulnerability.