A disturbing new study conducted by the European Cockpit Association (ECA) found that nearly one in four European airline pilots routinely take to the skies despite being too exhausted to safely perform their duties.
76.8% of nearly 7,200 pilots surveyed across 32 European countries admitted to experiencing at least one involuntary episode of sleep, known as a "microsleep," while operating an aircraft in the previous four weeks. Moreover, nearly half admitted flying at least once during the previous three months when they should have declared themselves too fatigued to work.
The study also found that 24.2% of pilots routinely continued flying rather than reporting themselves unfit for duty.
Nearly half of respondents said they feared negative consequences from airline management for reporting fatigue, while fewer than 12% expressed confidence in their employer's fatigue reporting system.
The epidemic is especially bad in Spain, where roughly two in five pilots admitted that they regularly flew while exhausted, while pilots working for airlines based in Ireland and France also reported elevated levels of fatigue-related concerns. Yet, the news wasn't all bad. Pilots working for British airlines reported far fewer problems, with just one in ten admitting they routinely flew while exhausted. Additionally, Finland and the Netherlands also stood out for their stronger approaches to managing pilot fatigue.
ECA President Capt. Tanja Harter told The Guardian that airlines and regulators need to step up rather than leaving pilots to deal with the risks on their own.
"This cannot be simply left to us - the pilots - to manage, while we are on the flight deck and expected to bring our passengers safely to their destination," Harter said.
"Waiting for another three years to discover that nothing has changed is simply not an option," she added. "The problems are identified, solutions are there, and we as the European pilot community are ready to contribute. What is needed now is the political will to act."