Ethiopian Airlines pilots misjudge runway while napping

• Ethiopian Airlines flight took off from Sudan’s Khartoum airport.
• Two pilots fell asleep at 37,000 feet (11,000 metres), missing an airport runway before waking up to safely land the plane.
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• The Boeing 737, with a capacity of 154 passengers, typically takes less than two hours to fly between the neighboring countries.

Two pilots fell asleep at 37,000 feet (11,000 metres), missing an airport runway before waking up to safely land the plane, according to an aviation publication.

After they overshot the point of descent into Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa airport, air traffic controllers attempted to contact them.

According to the Aviation Herald, the pilots eventually awoke and landed the plane on its second approach.

According to state-run news outlet Fana, the Ethiopian Airlines crew has been placed on leave pending an investigation.

The passenger flight took off from Sudan’s Khartoum airport on Monday.

The Boeing 737, with a capacity of 154 passengers, typically takes less than two hours to fly between the neighboring countries.

The reactions to the pilots sleeping on the job ranged from sympathy for their work schedule to surprise that they fell asleep on the job.

“I wouldn’t cast blame on the Ethiopian crew specifically here – this is something that could happen to ANY crew in the world and it probably DID happen… The blame lies on the corporation and the regulators,” read one comment on the Aviation Herald website.

Another user proposed that there was only one possible solution: “Termination. That concludes the story. Completely finished.”

Others found the story amusing, writing on Twitter, “Sleeping on the job taken to new heights!”

On Twitter, an aviation analyst called the incident “deeply 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.

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