Singapore — Saw Jet Star made the news on April 22, 2016, since he was the first baby to be born aboard a Jetstar Asia plane. Three doctors on board, as well as customer service manager Saw Ler Htu, helped deliver him into the world shortly after the plane landed in Yangon.
This year, to celebrate his third birthday, little Saw Jet Star received a visit from Mr Saw, who made the trip to Myanmar along with two friends to see the little boy who was named after him.
The young boy’s mum had been on a flight from Singapore to Myanmar, which lasts less than three hours when she suddenly went into labour just as the plane was getting ready to land.
Luckily, there were doctors on board the plane, who were willing to offer their services to assist the woman, who hails from Myanmar, as she gave birth on flight 3K583.
The crew and doctors had intended to move the woman as soon as the plane arrived in Yangon, but little Saw Jet Star thwarted their plans by being born on the plane, weighing six pounds and seven ounces (2.9kg). When he arrived, the other passengers, mostly Myanmar nationals, burst into cheers and applause.
The mother and baby were then brought to a local hospital for further medical examinations, but since both were healthy, they were allowed to go home right away.
Out of her gratefulness to the airline and the crew who gave her excellent care, the happy mother named her son Saw Jet Star, since part of her name is Star as well.
A spokesman from Jetstar said after the birth, “Our crew are trained to respond to all kinds of events on our aircraft, and we’re proud of the way they assisted with the help of generous doctors onboard to ensure the safe delivery of our youngest ever passenger on a Jetstar Asia flight.”
To celebrate the very first baby born on a Jetstar plane, the airliner gave Saw Jet Star’s family S$1,000 worth of baby supplies.
Though three years have gone by, Mr Saw has never lost touch with the little boy’s family. And this year, he chose to do something special for him, traveling eight hours with his friends to see him again. After his flight from Singapore, he took a five-hour trip on land and a three-hour boat trip to visit the little boy.
Apparently, the day little Saw Jet Star was born brought Mr Saw a lot of joy.
A longtime employee of the airliner, The New Paper reports Mr Saw as saying, “That day was a very special one for me. Even hours after the delivery, I kept replaying it in my mind.”
The airline actually paid for Mr Saw’s trip to Myanmar, and some of the other staff from Jetstar put together a donation of food and clothes. After arriving at the village where Saw Jet Star and his family live, Mr Saw and his friends celebrated his birthday along with many of the children from the village.
Mr Saw told The New Paper that he gave the little boy some chocolate, which made Saw Jet Star happy, and then carried the boy in his arms.
This is the first year that he has been able to visit the little boy for his birthday, though the family invites him every year. In the past, the father of two teenagers has been too busy to make the long trip to the village in Myanmar where Saw Jet Star and his family live.
However, Mr Saw said, “I hope I can visit him every year.”
The airline’s customer service manager accredits the training Jetstar requires for equipping him to help little Saw Jet Star’s mom on the day of his birth. He said, “We have to go through a first aid review yearly so we can help doctors effectively.”
A video of Mr Saw’s trip to visit little Saw Jet Star in Yangon was uploaded by Cyn Yen on YouTube earlier this month and can be viewed here. /TISG
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