Snoozing pilots back in 'driver's seat'

Having served out suspensions of 60 and 45 days respectively, a captain and co-pilot working for Go! airlines have reported back to work.

The pair earned their suspensions when they "unintentionally fell asleep" during a 45 minute flight from Oahu Island to Hawaii Island. Air traffic controllers monitoring the flight became concerned when the pair failed to respond to repeated calls for a period of 17 minutes.

Due to their snooze, the flight overshot its landing point and had to turn back, but eventually landed with all 40 passengers safe and sound.

Subsequently, the captain was diagnosed as suffering from severe obstructive sleep apnea, which can result in restless nights and sleep deprivation.

Why the co-pilot also fell asleep at the wheel, is not known.