Survey: 24% of European pilots fly while too fatigued for duty
European Cockpit Association survey of nearly 7,200 pilots found 24% usually fly when too fatigued, while 75% reported a cockpit microsleep in the prior four weeks.
The story in focus
A European Cockpit Association survey of almost 7,200 captains and first officers found 24% usually keep flying rather than report themselves unfit due to fatigue, The Guardian reported. Three-quarters reported at least one cockpit microsleep in the prior four weeks, and only 11.9% trusted their airline's fatigue reporting system.
- 24% of surveyed pilots said they usually continue flying rather than report fatigue; 16.8% said they call in sick instead.
- Three-quarters reported at least one microsleep while operating an aircraft in the previous four weeks.
- Almost half feared negative consequences from management for reporting themselves unfit; 11.9% trusted their airline's fatigue reporting system.
- About two in five used commander's discretion at least once in the prior month; nearly 70% were concerned about refusing to extend duty.
- ECA president Tanja Harter urged EASA to strengthen fatigue management rules and enforce non-punitive reporting.
Survey findings
The European Cockpit Association surveyed almost 7,200 captains and first officers in August, with results reported by The Guardian on 26 October. Of respondents, 24% said they usually continue flying rather than declare themselves unfit due to fatigue, and 16.8% said they call in sick instead. Three-quarters reported experiencing at least one microsleep, a brief involuntary episode of sleep, while operating an aircraft in the previous four weeks.
More than a third said they were not getting enough rest to prevent fatigue building over time. Half said they had operated a flight in the three months before the survey when they should have declared themselves too fatigued. Only one in three said they usually report themselves unfit when fatigued.
Reporting culture and discretion
Almost half of respondents said they feared negative consequences from management for reporting fatigue, and 11.9% trusted their airline's fatigue reporting system. Pilots at airlines based in Ireland and Malta reported the highest microsleep levels and were among the most likely to fear reprisals and least likely to trust reporting systems.
Nearly two in five said they had used commander's discretion, which lets captains extend working hours or reduce rest in exceptional circumstances, at least once in the prior month. Nearly 70% expressed concern about refusing to extend duty.
Calls for regulatory action
Baines Simmons managing director Ian Holder said the results reflect how pilots experience fatigue risk management in practice rather than a direct measure of safety outcomes, but noted consistency over three years. ECA president Tanja Harter said airlines and regulators should take responsibility and urged the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to strengthen fatigue management rules and enforce non-punitive reporting.
What share of surveyed European pilots reported a cockpit microsleep in the prior four weeks?
Three-quarters of the nearly 7,200 captains and first officers surveyed reported at least one microsleep, a brief involuntary episode of sleep, while operating an aircraft in the previous four weeks.
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