An Ethiopian Airlines flight from Khartoum to Addis Ababa approached the city and overflew the airport at 37,000 feet earlier this week because both pilots were asleep on the flight deck, reports said.
Media reports indicated that the pilots were awoken when the autopilot disconnected after the aircraft passed the airport.
Early morning from Khartoum
Flight ET343 departed Khartoum at 01:26 UTC (03:26 local time) for Addis Ababa. The Boeing 737-800 registered ET-AOB neared Addis Ababa at 37,000 feet (FL370) passing over the airport at 02:51 UTC (05:51 local time).
Read also: Ethiopian Airlines to commence flights to Chennai, India
According to media reports, the pilots were asleep on the flight deck at the time and were awoken by the aural warning associated with the autopilot disconnecting after overflying the airport.
The flight subsequently made a left turn and began descending back toward Addis Ababa, landing at 03:16 UTC, 25 minutes after first overflying the airport.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.
She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay.
She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos.
As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender.
She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies.
Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the
prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.
She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.
She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations.
Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
