24% of European pilots fly despite fatigue — The Guardian

Nearly a quarter of pilots at European airlines said they usually continue operating flights even though, due to fatigue, they should report themselves unfit for duty. This was the response from 24% of participants in a survey by the European Cockpit Association (ECA), which involved nearly 7,200 captains and first officers, The Guardian reports.

Microsleep in the cockpit

Three-quarters of respondents said they had experienced microsleep at least once while operating an aircraft during the four weeks before the survey. Microsleep is a brief involuntary episode of sleep. Pilots at airlines based in Ireland and Malta reported the highest rate of such incidents.

More than a third of participants said they do not get sufficient rest to prevent the accumulation of fatigue. At the same time, only one in three pilots usually reports being unfit for duty due to exhaustion. Half of respondents acknowledged that they had operated a flight in the three months before the survey when they should have declared themselves too fatigued to work.

Concerns over consequences

Nearly half of those surveyed said they fear negative consequences from management if they report fatigue. Only 11.9% of respondents trust their airline's fatigue reporting system. Another 16.8% of pilots said they take sick leave in such situations.

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The share of those who usually fly despite fatigue was higher in Spain, Ireland and France. This was reported by two in five pilots at airlines based in Spain and about one-third of employees at carriers from Ireland and France. Among pilots at British airlines, one in ten gave this response.

Nearly two in five survey participants reported that at least once in the month before the study, they had used the captain's discretion to extend crew duty time or reduce the rest period in exceptional circumstances. Nearly 70% of respondents expressed concern about potentially refusing such a duty extension.

ECA President Tanja Harter called on airlines and regulators to strengthen accountability for managing fatigue risks. She also appealed to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to strengthen the relevant rules and monitor compliance with requirements for non-punitive fatigue reporting.