Meet Jet Star, the baby born in a plane
Baby born on a Jetstar flight last week is named after his mum, the airline and a Jetstar manager
A very special Star made his grand appearance on board a Jetstar Asia flight on Friday.
Even though he is no Hollywood celebrity, his debut at Yangon airport was announced on international news platforms.
Meet baby Saw Jet Star, who was born on board Jetstar Asia flight 3K583 after it landed at the airport in Myanmar following a flight from Singapore.
The carrier said the baby, who weighed about 3kg, was the first-ever child to be delivered on one of its planes.
Responding to queries from The New Paper, Jetstar added that part of his name came from its customer service manager, Mr Saw Ler Htu, who helped his mother with the delivery.
Coincidentally, "Star" is part of the mother's name, while "Jet" is derived from "Jetstar".
TNP understands that the mother is a Myanmar national.
When asked if she could be interviewed, Jetstar said that she prefers to remain private, but assured TNP that both mother and son are in good health.
LABOUR
The plane had just landed when she went into labour.
Jetstar Asia posted on its Facebook page that its crew, led by Mr Saw Ler Htu, then called for medical assistance.
Three doctors on the flight came forward to help.
The crew and doctors were still getting ready to move the mother when she gave birth on the plane.
Like her, the doctors also declined to be interviewed.
Jetstar said that both mother and baby were taken to a Yangon hospital and have been discharged.
Jetstar has offered $1,000 worth of baby supplies to the family to congratulate them.
The airline said its crew members are trained to respond to all kinds of events on its planes.
It added: "We're proud of the way they assisted with the help of generous doctors on board to ensure the safe delivery of our youngest ever passenger on a Jetstar Asia flight.
"The happy arrival of baby Jet Star was met with a round of applause from other passengers on the plane, so we're sure it's not a moment they'll ever forget either!"
It takes about three hours to fly from Singapore to Yangon.
For a flight less than four hours, Jetstar allows women to travel up to the end of their 40th week, reported Daily Mail Online.
The happy arrival of baby Jet Star was met with a round of applause from other passengers on the plane, so we're sure it's not a moment they'll ever forget either!
- Jetstar Asia
Other similar cases
OCTOBER 2015
On Oct 8 last year, a baby girl was born on board a China Airlines flight from Bali to Los Angeles, after her Taiwanese mother unexpectedly went into labour.
The woman, known only as Jian, delivered above Alaska 30 minutes before the flight made an emergency landing at Alaska's Anchorage Airport.
Daily Mail Online reported that she had allegedly planned the delivery over US airspace, making the baby girl eligible for a US passport.
It was reported that she could face a fine of more than US$30,000 (S$42,000) - the cost of diverting the flight to another airport and affecting more than 200 passengers - if it is proven that she deliberately tried to give birth in the US.
MAY 2015
Canadian Ada Guan was two hours into an Air Canada flight from Calgary to Tokyo on May 10, last year, when she had severe stomach cramps.
A few hours later, the 23-year-old, who reportedly had no idea she was pregnant, gave birth to a baby girl.
Ms Guan and her boyfriend, Mr Wes Branch, live in Victoria, Canada, and were going to Japan, Canadian media reported.
The couple said that she did a pregnancy test a few months before she gave birth, but it came back negative.
JANUARY 2015
A 33-year-old Jordanian woman gave birth to a premature but healthy baby girl mid-flight while travelling to New York from Amman.
She was assisted by a nurse and a doctor who happened to be on the plane when she went into labour, four hours before landing in the Big Apple.
Airport and airline officials said the girl was born while the twin-jet Boeing Dreamliner was cruising over the Atlantic.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
