Batik Air pilots suspended for taking power nap mid-flight

By Hoang Vu March 10, 2024 | 11:18 pm PT

An aircraft of Indonesian carrier Batik Air. Photo courtesy of the airline

Indonesian low-cost carrier Batik Air announced it has suspended two pilots who fell asleep for nearly half an hour in the cockpit during a domestic flight.

The move came a day after the government decided to launch a probe into the incident after the pilot and co-pilot were simultaneously asleep for around 28 minutes during a flight from Southeast Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta on Jan. 25, according to the National Transportation Safety Committee.

There was a series of navigation errors as a result but thankfully they did not turn deadly, and all 153 passengers and four flight attendants were safe.

Batik Air said in a statement last week that it "operates with adequate rest policy" and was "committed to implementing all safety recommendations."

Investigators did not identify the pilots but said merely they were both Indonesians and aged 32 and 28, according to The Straits Times.