Ethiopian Airlines has suspended two pilots who fell asleep enroute to Ethiopia and missed landing.
The pilots fell asleep while flying a passenger jet from Khartoum, Sudan, to Addis Ababa on August 15, leaving the plane on autopilot at 37,000 feet. FIJ learned that the air traffic control tried in vain to reach the crew.
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The airplane was scheduled to land at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, but it failed to land until an alarm triggered by the disconnected autopilot went off. Upon waking up, the pilots took control and landed the jet 25 minutes after overflying the airport.
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Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, said it suspended the two pilots pending an investigation.
FIJ learned that the average time for the journey is one hour and 29 minutes, but the flight in question took 20 minutes more.
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