Mother names baby 'Jet Star' after giving birth onboard Jetstar Asia flight

Baby boy Saw Jet Star was born on board Jetstar Asia flight 3K583 on April 22, 2016. PHOTO: JETSTAR ASIA/FACEBOOK

SINGAPORE - A pregnant woman who unexpectedly went into labour and gave birth to a baby boy onboard a Jetstar Asia flight has named her son after the airline.

The baby, Saw Jet Star, was delivered safely on flight 3K583 last Friday (April 22), thanks to three doctors who had stepped forward to help.

The plane, which departed Singapore in the evening, was about to land in Yangon, Myanmar, when the woman - a Myanmar national - started experiencing cramps.

As crew members and the doctors were preparing to move her after the plane landed, the baby boy was delivered.

Both the woman and her son were in good health after the delivery, and were taken to a local hospital. They have since been discharged.

According to a Jetstar spokesman, the boy's birth was met with a round of applause from the plane's passengers, who were mostly Myanmar nationals.

The baby boy, who weighed six pounds and seven ounces (2.9kg), is the first to be delivered on a Jetstar Asia flight.

The airline - a low-cost subsidiary of Australia's Qantas - said it was donating $1,000 worth of baby supplies to congratulate the family.

As part of the mother's name is Star, she told the airline that she had decided to name her baby Saw Jet Star because of the care she received from the airline.

"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," said the spokesman.

Jetstar's policy allows women up to 40 weeks pregnant to travel on flights no longer than four hours, but like most airlines, Jetstar also requires expectant mothers more than 28 weeks pregnant to present a certificate or letter that deems them fit to fly upon request.

The journey from Singapore to Yangon takes roughly three hours.

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