Two pilots from an Indonesian airline with more than 150 passengers fell asleep mid-air.

Indonesia's aviation safety agency has called for better pilot fatigue monitoring mechanisms after the investigation revealed. Two pilots fell asleep in mid-air on a commercial flight recently..

On January 25, a pilot and co-pilot simultaneously slept for about 28 minutes during a company flight. Batik Air From Sulawesi in the north of the country to the capital Jakarta, according to a preliminary report by the National Transport Safety Committee (KNKT).

Report, this AFP It became known on Friday and was published on the agency's website at the end of February.

Indonesia is a vast archipelago Poor flight safety recordAlthough it relies heavily on this transport to connect its thousands of islands.

According to the report, one of the pilots did not rest properly the night before the flight.

This incident caused a series of navigational errors, but All 153 passengers and four flight attendants on board the Airbus A320 were unhurt during the two-hour and 35-minute flight..

Half an hour after takeoff, the captain asked the copilot for permission to rest, he took control of the device, but he fell asleep, the report said.

Twenty-eight minutes after the last recorded transmission, the pilot awoke, realized that his co-pilot was asleep and that the aircraft was not on the correct flight path, and corrected it after waking up his co-pilot and responding to calls. Jakarta.

“P.I.C [piloto al mando] Then he saw the S.I.C [segundo al mando] He was sleeping and it woke him up,” the report said. “Almost at the same time, the PIC responded to another pilot and Jakarta ACC's call. The PIC reported to Jakarta ACC that BTK6723 encountered a radio communication problem and that the problem has now been resolved. “The flight continued to land in Jakarta without incident.”

KNKT urged Batik Air to develop detailed procedures to ensure pilots and crew are properly rested before their flights.

“Due to a lack of detailed guidance and practice, pilots may not be able to adequately assess their physical and mental state,” the report on the incident said. “Therefore, KNKT recommends Batik Air Indonesia to develop a comprehensive guide and process to ensure that IM SAFE can use the personal checklist to properly assess the pilot's physical and mental condition.”

For its part, the Indonesian Ministry of Transport announced on Saturday that it would launch an investigation into Batik Air.

Batik Air Transport Ministry “Strongly Condemns” The IncidentDirector General of Aviation Christie Enda Murni announced, urging airlines to focus more on their other employees.

“We will investigate and review the night flight operation in Indonesia regarding fatigue risk management for Batik Air and all aircraft operators,” Christie said in a statement.

Saturday, Batik Air in a statement “operates with adequate rest norms” and It “commits to implement all safety recommendations.”

The pilots involved in the incident have been suspended, he added.

Investigators did not identify the pilots, but indicated that they were both Indonesians, aged 32 and 28.

(With information from AFP)