Airline Safety Threatened By Longer Working Hours

British airline pilots are lobbying UK Members of the European Parliament ( ME Ps) to urge them to improve the deficient proposals before them to harmonise pilot flying hours across the European Union (EU).

BALPA said that if the deficient proposals are adopted, they will, among other things, increase the maximum number of hours an airline pilot can fly at night to 11 hours 45 minutes and during the daytime to 14 hours. These are significant increases.

Current flying duty limits in the UK are for 4 flight sectors conducted at night (starting after 10pm) 9 hours maximum; for 2 flight sectors 10 hours 15 minutes maximum; for 4 daytime sectors starting between 0800 and 1259 11 hours 45 minutes and for 2 daytime sectors 13 hours 15 minutes.

'We shall explain to ME Ps that these increased flying hours compromise flight safety and must not be allowed to stand,' said Captain Mervyn Granshaw, BALPA Chairman. ' MEPs have to act now.'

Existing studies, for example, show that the effects of fatigue on a pilot's performance after flying 10 hours at night is equivalent to 0.08 per cent of alcohol in the blood - a level at which car drivers would not be allowed to drive and which, is itself, four times less stringent than current blood/alcohol levels for pilots.

Statistical evidence also demonstrates that exposure to an accident is six times higher on aircraft whose crew has been working longer than 12 hours. The current proposal allows up to 14 hours at daytime.

The proposals increase maximum night flying hours to very nearly 12 hours. The wealth of scientific knowledge already in existence tells us clearly that the proposals used to their fullest are unsafe. Science must prevail.

BALPA will demand that the scientific analysis from the experts be produced within two years, not three as currently planned. And there must be an agreed timetable for converting the science into law'

Jim McAuslan, General Secretary of BALPA added: "A key element for BALPA is safeguarding UK standards. These are not perfect, but they are better than most in Europe . The UK Government has previously said that our standards will be maintained, but there is nothing in this EU law to confirm that. This needs to be changed, or we will see Europe eroding UK standards."

BALPA's fear is that once other European airlines make their pilots fly the longer hours and with less rest, British airlines will say they are set at a market disadvantage and demand, and get, permission to fly the longer hours too.

Source: BALPA News Release

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