"Paternity leave": Netizens react as Batik air pilots fall asleep mid flight as investigation gets underway

Recently, while in the air, two pilots from Batik Air in Indonesia dozed off for roughly 30 minutes. This incident prompted an instant investigation. It was later discovered that one of them was reportedly exhausted from helping to look after his newborn twins the previous night.

The Batik Air plane was traveling from Southeast Sulawesi to Jakarta. The Airbus A320 landed safely, and all 153 passengers and crew members were unharmed despite a lengthy diversion.

As per sources like BBC, the 32-year-old pilot needed to rest, so around 30 minutes after departure, he asked his co-pilot to take over the aircraft's controls. The 28-year-old co-pilot agreed, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

However, the co-pilot also inadvertently dozed off. It had been claimed that he had been helping his wife with their one-month-old twins. Authorities are actively looking into the matter.

Nevertheless, once the news went viral on X, netizens took to the platform to react to the entire situation.

---

Netizens reacted as Batik air pilots fell asleep mid-flight

Following their most recent communication, Jakarta air traffic control contacted the Batik Air A320 cockpit, but they got no response. Without causing any damage to the occupants, the pilot could maneuver the aircraft back on course and land safely in Jakarta. Air traffic tried to contact BTK6723 while sleeping, but the pilots did not respond.

There was a 28-minute radio silence during which the lead pilot realized his co-pilot had also fallen asleep. He saw that the flight had strayed from its intended course for a brief period.

The pilot was not named in the incident report. The report identified him as a 32-year-old citizen of Indonesia who was certified to fly the Airbus A320 and with a valid airline transport pilot license.

In the meantime, once the news was uploaded on X, netizens went to the platform to express their opinion regarding the incident. Some reacted humorously, whereas some were serious about it and criticized the airlines and the pilots.

---

The authorities are currently investigating the situation involving with the Batik air pilots

Two Indonesian airline pilots dozed off during a roughly 30-minute trip, leaving 159 passengers on board. When the Batik Air Airbus A320 aircraft was at a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, the captain, 32, took a nap with permission from his co-pilot.

The skipper received permission to take a short break from his second-in-command approximately ninety minutes after the plane took off. Sources like News claim that when the younger first officer turned down the offer, the captain went back to sleep.

When he awoke 28 minutes later, he discovered that his companion was dozing and that "the aircraft was not on the correct flight path."

The captain then answered the air traffic controllers and another pilot's calls after rousing them, saying they had experienced a "radio communication problem."

According to outlets like IBC, the KNKT report, posted to the agency's website in February and viewed by Agence-France Presse on Friday, March 8, states that one of the pilots did not get enough sleep the night before the trip.

On the other hand, according to WION, even though the flight avoided any collision despite several navigational errors, it is incredibly fortunate that all the passengers and four flight attendants on that particular day survived the incident unharmed.

As per BFM News, Batik Air stated that it adheres to a sufficient rest policy and is dedicated to putting all safety advice into practice. The incident is currently being investigated.