Batik Air captain shares cockpit with daughter on Colombo flight

KUALA PILAH – "When the cockpit door closes, we carry out our duties professionally like any other flight crew."

That was how veteran pilot Razali Abdul Aziz, 53, described the first time he shared a cockpit with his eldest daughter, Fatin Dayini, 26, who served as his first officer — even as feelings of pride, emotion and joy welled up.

The Batik Air Malaysia captain said the milestone came while operating flight OD297/298 on the Kuala Lumpur-Colombo-Kuala Lumpur route last Monday.

"Even though the feeling was very strong, my daughter and I set our emotions aside throughout the flight to ensure safety, smooth operations and passenger comfort remained the priority.

"I felt proud, moved, happy and at the same time a little awkward working with my own child in the same cockpit," he told Kosmo! when contacted yesterday. (Quotes translated from Malay.)

Razali, who has 30 years of experience in aviation, said he became a pilot in 1996 after obtaining an aviation diploma and an Air Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) from the Australian Air Academy in Tamworth, Australia.

Over three decades of service, he has logged more than 18,500 flight hours and currently flies the Boeing 737.

He said his daughter's interest in aviation was already evident during her school days at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Trolak and Taiping.

"She asked a lot of questions about aeroplanes and the aviation world. She even liked rummaging through my work bag to look at aviation-related materials," he said.

Razali, who sometimes tends to his orchard in the district, said one of the most meaningful moments of the flight was being able to guide his daughter through take-off and landing, which she handled well and with full confidence.

"For me, that moment was like watching a legacy built over the years grow naturally.

"It is a satisfaction that is hard to describe, seeing your child able to carry out the task well," he said.