Video of pilot sleeping on flight goes viral; co-pilot also faces flak

Beijing, Feb 24: Fatigue of pilots while flying is not something new. Now, a video of a pilot of China Airlines sleeping in the cockpit midway in a flight has gone viral and he was reportedly been suspended for it.

The pilot flying a Boeing 747 is said to have almost 20 years of flying experience but was seen taking a nap on duty. It was not clear as for how long he was sleeping. The video was taken by his co-pilot who also took several pictures, The Independent reported. The co-pilot also came under the authorities' wrath for not waking up his partner, Taiwan's EBC News reported.

The video, once circulated on the social media, gave birth to a debate on how commercial pilots fall asleep while flying. While many questioned the safety regulations, there were also others who sympathised with the pilot saying he was seen to be clearly fatigued.

Commercial pilots in China recently went on a seven-day strike over issues like long working hours. The latest video came only after a few days after the strike was called off and could lead to a fresh debate.