Sleeping air traffic control officers prevented a China Eastern Airlines flight from landing at Wuhan Airport, according to reports.
The Boeing 737 repeatedly tried to obtain final landing permission during its descent into the airport in central China.
The incident, which took place last month, ended incident-free after the officers woke up and gave pilots the green light to touch down.
It was not publicly admitted for three weeks and no explanation was given for the delay, sparking outrage on Chinese social media channels.