JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Batik Air has suspended two pilots after an incident where both were found asleep during a domestic flight in January, the airline said.
The pilot took a nap during the return flight to Jakarta from Kendari in Sulawesi after reaching cruising altitude, but the co-pilot then also unintentionally fell asleep while at the controls, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said in a report, according to DPA news.
“Batik Air took preventive action by temporarily suspending the pilots of flight number ID-6723 on the Kendari to Jakarta route, who served on Jan 25,” airline spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said in a statement over the weekend.
The lapse resulted in a loss of communication when the aircraft strayed from its intended path and Jakarta air traffic control could not reach the flight for 28 minutes, KNKT said.
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The airline said it was reinforcing its safety protocols and emphasising the importance of rest for its crew.
The KNKT report said the first pilot had a rest period of 35 hours.
The co-pilot, who is a new parent to one-month-old twins, had 53 hours of rest but suffered from disrupted sleep.
“His wife took care of the babies but he assisted while at home,” the report said.
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