Three in four airline pilots across Europe say they have fallen asleep in the cockpit, according to new research highlighting concerns over fatigue in the aviation industry.
The survey of almost 7,200 captains and first officers found that pilots were reporting inadequate rest while also facing pressure to work longer shifts.
The European Cockpit Association (ECA), which published the report last week, said the results indicated that pilots may “fear punishment” if they report fatigue—creating potential “safety risks”.
Among those surveyed, 24 per cent said they had continued working rather than declaring themselves unfit because of fatigue. Only 16.8 per cent said they had called in sick instead.
Meanwhile, three quarters of respondents said they had experienced “microsleeps” in the cockpit as a result of tiredness.
The US-based National Sleep Foundation (NSF) defines microsleeps as involuntary episodes in which a person “falls asleep for a period of several seconds” and may not realise it has happened.
Pilots can become fatigued quickly because of irregular or changing shifts, jet lag and insufficient sleep. These factors can disrupt the body’s natural clock.
The findings raise significant safety concerns. Fatigue can affect a pilot’s judgment, slow reaction times, reduce alertness and impair responses to unexpected events during a flight.
New research has found that three quarters of European airline pilots have fallen asleep in the cockpit (File image)
“During an episode, you may appear to be awake, and even have your eyes open, but your brain does not process information,” the NSF said.
The incidents described in the ECA survey, which was conducted in August, had taken place during the preceding four weeks.
The industry association said pilots working for airlines based in Ireland and Malta reported the highest number of microsleeps.
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More than 30 per cent of respondents said they did not get enough sleep to avoid becoming fatigued.
Yet only one in three said they reported being too exhausted to fly. Half also admitted they had operated a flight when they should not have because of fatigue during the three months before the ECA survey.
Almost half said they were afraid of being penalised for reporting fatigue, while just 11.9 per cent considered their airline’s fatigue-reporting system trustworthy.
Among captains and first officers working for budget airlines, only 15.6 per cent believed their companies managed fatigue-related risks effectively.
Licensed pilots are not permitted to fly while fatigued and are legally required to inform their airline when they are unfit to operate.
Ian Holder, managing director of aviation safety consultancy Baines Simmons, told The Guardian: “This survey captures how European pilots experience fatigue risk management in practice.”
He said the results revealed continuing differences in the way airlines and national aviation authorities manage fatigue risks.
The ECA launched a pilot fatigue campaign in June, warning: “Summer disruptions are back. And fatigue risks getting worse than ever.”
‘Years of cost-cutting, social dumping, precarious contracts, and Covid-induced instability have hollowed out aviation’s operational resilience.
‘The results? Chronic understaffing. Unrealistic scheduling. Inadequate buffers. Commercial pressure to make it work no matter what. And all of it lands squarely on the shoulders of the crews.
‘As delays and disruptions increase across Europe’s airports, and airspace is more and more crowded, pilots are being asked – directly or indirectly – to go the extra mile.
‘But when that “extra mile” comes at the cost of alertness, decision-making, and safety, it becomes a risk, not a solution.’
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