According to a report by the European Cockpit Association based on a survey conducted in August, significant fatigue issues persist among European airline pilots. The study involved responses from nearly 7,200 captains and first officers and identified multiple concerning trends regarding pilot fatigue and its management.
The survey revealed that three-quarters of respondents reported experiencing at least one microsleep—a brief, involuntary sleep episode—while operating an aircraft within the previous month. Additionally, almost a quarter of pilots admitted they typically continue flying rather than report themselves unfit due to fatigue concerns. Another 16.8% indicated they call in sick instead of formally declaring fatigue-related unfitness. When asked about operations in the three months preceding the survey, half of respondents acknowledged flying when they should have declared themselves too fatigued to continue.
A critical barrier to fatigue reporting emerged in the survey results: nearly half of pilots expressed fear of negative consequences from management if they reported themselves unfit, while only 11.9% trusted their airline’s fatigue reporting system. Geographic variations were notable, with pilots at airlines based in Ireland and Malta reporting the highest microsleep rates and the greatest concerns about management reprisals. In Spain, Ireland, and France, between two in five and one in three pilots reported usually flying while fatigued, compared to one in ten at UK-based airlines. Low-cost carriers showed particularly low confidence in fatigue management, with only 15.6% of pilots believing their airlines managed fatigue risks effectively.
The survey also examined commander’s discretion, a measure allowing captains to extend crew working hours or reduce rest periods in exceptional circumstances. Nearly two in five pilots reported using this tool at least once in the month before the survey, with nearly 70% expressing concern about refusing to extend their duty, suggesting the mechanism may be applied under significant crew pressure.
ECA leadership called for regulatory action and airline accountability, urging the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to strengthen fatigue management rules and ensure compliance with non-punitive reporting requirements. Officials emphasized that fatigue management cannot remain solely the responsibility of pilots operating aircraft.
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