A European Cockpit Association (ECA) survey of 7,200 pilots found that 77% had experienced at least one microsleep in the cockpit during the four weeks before responding. The findings have prompted calls for stronger fatigue rules and protections for pilots who report being too exhausted to fly.
Survey reveals widespread fatigue
The ECA warned of "insufficient rest to prevent cumulative fatigue" and flight duties extending "beyond legal maximums". Its report also suggested fatigue was "underreported across the industry", with low-cost carriers highlighted as particularly problematic and Ireland and Malta singled out as the worst offenders.
"Airlines' reporting systems are often seen as neither effective nor trusted, and a substantial share of pilots fly fatigued because of fear of a punitive reaction from their airline," the report noted.
Pilots speak out
One commercial airline pilot, speaking anonymously to the Mirror, said he had fallen asleep in the cockpit "many times".
"I have the responsibility of 234 souls, and I can legally work up to 14 hours straight, not including the repositioning. But after many years I realised nobody cares because, at the end of the day, no airplanes are falling from the sky," he said.
Describing the effects of these brief periods of sleep, he added: "After many nights in-flight, you experience microsleeps from a few seconds up to two to three minutes, but you do not realise and it's subtle because you might seem to be aware, but you are technically sleeping. It impairs your situational awareness and your judgment ability. But...as I said, nobody cares."
Calls for action
Only 37% of respondents said they declare themselves unfit when exhausted, while 24% said they usually continue flying rather than report themselves unfit due to fatigue. Nearly two in five feared punishment or a "retaliatory response" if they reported fatigue.
ECA president Captain Tanja Harter urged airlines and regulators to act. She said: "The numbers in this report – and the lack of any meaningful improvement over the past three years – are a clear wake-up call for airlines, authorities and the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Something must change in the way Europe deals with pilot fatigue."
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) also described the findings as deeply troubling and called for immediate action. Joji Waites, BALPA director of flight safety, policy and regulation, said: "The ECA's survey of almost 7,200 pilots is a clear safety signal. That 24% of pilots usually continue flying rather than report themselves unfit due to fatigue is a concern. Aviation is the safest mode of transport through pilots' expertise and professionalism in tandem with other aviation professionals; however, fatigue remains one of the most significant threats. Safety margins cannot hold if pilots are routinely rostered to the upper limits of their flight and duty time limitations (FTL)."
"With almost half of pilots fearing repercussions for reporting fatigue, we fully support ECA's call for EASA to strengthen fatigue rules and enforce non-punitive reporting and responsible calls on the use of commander's discretion."
BALPA thanks the ECA for the considerable work involved in gathering this data. We are still running our Realtime fatigue app to collect actionable intelligence on UK pilot fatigue, so combined with the ECA's findings, we can create a clear picture of pilot fatigue, which will be fed into the CAA's ongoing FTL review.
