The Indonesian Government will look into an incident that saw the captain and first officer of a commercial passenger flight fall asleep for nearly half an hour.
The incident occurred during a two-hour, 35-minute Batik Air flight between Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi and Jakarta on 25 January 2024.
According to Indonesian news agency Antara, the pilots of flight ID6723 were asleep for around 28 minutes and when they awoke, the plane had veered from its planned flight path.
The aircraft, an A320, landed safely and no passengers were injured during the incident.
“We will conduct an investigation and review of the night flight operation in Indonesia regarding the Fatigue Risk Management for Batik Air and other flight operators,” Indonesian Transportation Ministry’s Civil Aviation Director General M. Kristi Endah Murni said in a statement on Saturday.
Batik Air scolded
Murni also stressed that airlines need to ensure pilots and flight crew get enough rest to be fully alert during flights.
Per standard procedures, the Director General said the flight crew of ID6723 has been temporarily suspended, pending further inquiry.
The agency will send an authorised flight inspector to investigate the incident’s cause and suggest ways for airlines to prevent such situations in the future, Antara reported.
Meanwhile, the agency praised the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) for its thorough investigation into the incident.
“Any penalty will be imposed according to the investigation report conducted by the investigator team,” the Director General remarked.
KNKT’s initial report, as seen by AFP, found that one of the pilots hadn’t rested enough before the flight.
Around 30 minutes after takeoff, the captain asked the co-pilot if he could take a rest, which was allowed. However, the co-pilot, who had newborn twins at home, also fell asleep while in charge.
Air traffic control then tried to contact the aircraft but received no response. Twenty-eight minutes later, the pilot woke up, realised the situation and corrected the flight path after waking the co-pilot.
Aussie presence
Batik Air is heavily active in the Australian market, with regular services from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to Bali and Jakarta.
Last month, the carrier also announced a new nonstop service between Canberra and Bali.
Sister airline, Batik Air Malaysia, has also been active in the Australian market of late, commencing and then cancelling flights between Adelaide and Kuala Lumpur in 2023, and also adding a new service between Melbourne and KL.
Last year, it also launched flights between Perth and Auckland.
