Overview

• Flight XK777 from Paris–Orly entered a holding pattern at night when Ajaccio’s control tower did not answer and runway lights were off, until firefighters and police accessed the locked tower, woke the controller and the jet landed safely.
• French civil aviation authority DGAC has opened an internal investigation and says disciplinary action is being considered, and the controller is due to see occupational health.
• Public prosecutor Nicolas Septe has opened a criminal probe for endangering lives, a standard inquiry that does not pre-judge culpability.
• Reports differ on how long the aircraft circled, with accounts ranging from roughly 18 minutes to nearly an hour based on flight-tracking and media reports.
• Staffing details remain contested: local reports described a single controller on duty, while the DGAC said required staffing was met with two controllers assigned and one on a scheduled four-hour break, renewing scrutiny of fatigue, staffing and contingency procedures.