Almost a quarter of European airline pilots fly when too fatigued to work

The survey, conducted in August, found that three-quarters of respondents had experienced at least one microsleep – a brief, involuntary episode of sleep – while operating an aircraft in the previous four weeks.

Almost a quarter (24%) of pilots admitted they usually continue flying rather than report themselves unfit due to fatigue, while another 16.8% said they call in sick instead.

Pilots working for airlines based in Ireland and Malta reported the highest levels of microsleeps, with more than a third saying they were not getting enough rest to prevent fatigue from building up over time.

Pressure to work

The survey highlights a culture of pressure where pilots feel compelled to extend their duty hours. Almost two in five pilots said they had used commander’s discretion – allowing captains to extend crew working hours or reduce rest periods in exceptional circumstances – at least once in the month before the survey.

Nearly 70% of pilots expressed concern about refusing to extend their duty, suggesting that a measure intended for exceptional situations is accompanied by significant pressure on flight crews.

This pressure is most acute at low-cost and wet-lease operators, as well as for pilots at airlines registered in Ireland and Malta.

Fear of reprisals

Despite the prevalence of exhaustion, only one in three pilots said they usually reported themselves unfit for duty when fatigued. Half admitted they had operated a flight in the three months before the survey when they should have declared themselves too fatigued to fly.

Almost half of the respondents said they feared negative consequences from management if they reported themselves unfit because of fatigue, while just 11.9% trusted their airline’s fatigue reporting system.

The proportion of pilots who said they would fly when fatigued was higher in Spain, Ireland and France. Two in five of the pilots working for airlines based in Spain and a third of those working for Ireland- and France-based airlines said they usually fly when fatigued. That compares with only one in 10 of the pilots flying for an airline based in the UK.

Safety concerns

Fatigue is a significant safety concern because it can impair pilots’ judgment, slow their reactions, reduce alertness and impair responses to unexpected situations. Under European aviation safety regulations, airlines are required to have systems in place to identify, monitor and manage crew fatigue.

Only 15.6% of pilots at low-cost carriers believed their airline managed fatigue risks well, compared with 18.6% at ACMI or wet-lease operators.

Call for action

Ian Holder, the managing director of the aviation safety consultancy Baines Simmons, said the results showed persistent differences in how airlines and national authorities manage fatigue.

He stressed that the findings represented pilots’ first-hand experiences rather than a direct measurement of aviation safety outcomes, but said the consistency of the results over three years highlighted areas requiring attention.

Capt Harter urged the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to strengthen fatigue management rules and ensure airlines comply with requirements for non-punitive reporting and the proper use of commander’s discretion.