ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopia’s flag carrier and Africa’s fastest growing airline, on Friday disclosed that it has removed pilots after its flight lost communication.
The airlines said in a statement that it has received a report, indicating that an Ethiopian airlines’ flight number ET343 en route from Sudanese capital, Khartoum to Addis Ababa temporarily lost communication with Addis Ababa Air Traffic Control on Monday.
Noting that the flight later landed safely after communication was restored, the Ethiopian flag carrier said the concerned crew have been removed from operation pending further investigation.
It said appropriate corrective action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.
The statement followed after reports by aviation publication indicated that two Ethiopian Airlines pilots fell asleep at 37,000ft, eventually missing an airport runway before waking to safely land the plane.
According to the Aviation Herald, the two pilots eventually woke up and landed the plane on its second approach.
The Ethiopian Airlines, in its statement, stressed that “safety has always been and will continue to be our first priority.
(Photo – ET)