Two pilots from Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s biggest airline, have been suspended after they fell asleep mid-flight and missed their landing. Photo: REUTERS Denis Balibouse.
The concerning incident occurred last Monday, during Ethiopian Airlines flight ET343 from Khartoum, Sudan, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Responding to the incident, Ethiopian Airlines said flight ET343 had temporarily lost communication with air traffic control but landed safely after it was restored.
After the two pilots fell asleep during the flight, their plane overshot the runway at Bole International Airport in the Ethiopian capital.
Fortunately, however, the plane landed safely 25 minutes later after the pilots were woken up by an alarm.
According to the independent website The Aviation Herald, the two pilots only woke up after an alarm triggered when autopilot mode disconnected and went off.
Air traffic reportedly tried to contact them after they overshot the point of descent into Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa airport, an aviation news outlet reported, according to the Maravi Post.
The Aviation Herald reported that Monday’s passenger flight took off from Sudan’s Khartoum airport.
The Boeing 737, with a 154-seat capacity, normally takes less than two hours on its route between the neighbouring countries.
The window seat brings the best views. This beautiful shot was taken by @Enu Hailu thank you for sharing. #WindowViewWednesday #ETMoments pic.twitter.com/m70Z3iikOz
— Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) August 17, 2022
The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2.5 hours before departing for its next flight, the publication reported.
Some aviation analysts have described the incident as concerning.
“Pilot fatigue is nothing new and continues to pose one of the most significant threats to air safety – internationally,” tweeted aviation analyst Alex Macheras.
IOL