According to an aviation publication, two pilots dozed off at 37,000 feet (11,000 meters) and missed an airport runway before waking up to safely land the aircraft.
After they missed the point of descent into Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa airport, air traffic tried to get in touch with them.
Eventually coming to, the pilots successfully landed the aircraft on its second approach, according to the Aviation Herald.
According to state-run news outlet Fana, the Ethiopian Airlines crew has been placed on leave while the matter is being investigated.
The passenger flight left Sudan’s Khartoum airport on Monday.
The Boeing 737, which can accommodate 154 passengers, typically flies between the neighboring nations in under two hours.
People’s reactions to the pilots dozing off at work have ranged from sympathy for their busy schedules to shock.
“I wouldn’t specifically blame the Ethiopian crew in this situation; after all, it could happen to ANY crew anywhere in the world, and it probably DID happen. The corporation and the regulators are to blame “On the Aviation Herald website, I read one comment.
Another user claimed there was only one remedy: “Termination. Story over. Stop there.”
Some people found the story to be humorous, tweeting, “Sleeping on the job taken to new heights!”
On Twitter, an aviation analyst referred to the incident as “deeply concerning.”
According to aviation analyst Alex Macheras’ tweet, “Pilot fatigue is nothing new and continues to pose one of the most significant threats to air safety – internationally.”
Ethiopian Airlines acknowledged in a press release that the crew had been barred from taking part in upcoming flights while an investigation was ongoing.
The statement stated that “appropriate corrective action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.”
Our top priority has always been and will always be safety.
