Flyge- og arbeidstidsbestemmelser

ECA mener at de foreslåtte regler reflekterer press fra arbeidsgiversiden.

Pilots group questions draft flight safety rules

Regulations proposed by the EU’s air safety agency for reducing fatigue in the cockpit are too lax, reflecting pressure from the airline industry for more flexibility, leaders of the European pilots’ organisation said yesterday (17 September). Published 18 September 2012

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is due to table recommendations to tighten existing rules, chopping up to 45 minutes off the maximum time European pilots can fly when their shifts involve nighttime hours.

The proposed 11-hour cap is among several safety suggestions due to be handed to the European Commission to strengthen a 2008 regulation.

But the European Cockpit Association (ECA) contends the nighttime duty recommendation falls well short of what is needed. They base their criticism on medical and scientific studies of pilots and cabin crews who work long hours that typically exceed a normal shift for an office or service worker as well as coach and railway operators.

The existing law on flight duty represents “a typical European comprise” between national and pressure group interests, said Philip von Schöppenthau, secretary-general of ECA. He added that the emerging recommendations are an improvement over current EU standards but still fall short of what the pilots and cabin crew trade unions want.

No compromise

ECA calls for a 10-hour flight limit for night duty, an hour less than what EASA’s draft proposal, and sees little room for middle ground. “Can you compromise on safety?” said Nico Voorbach, president of ECA, which represents 38,000 pilots in Europe. “I don’t think you should do that through legislation.”

The draft standards for flight crews follow an 18-month review of the earlier EU regulation and cover other duty periods as well. But the night restrictions are of particular concern, with studies showing the likelihood of accidents rising sharply the longer a pilot spends at the controls.

The debate pits pilots and other members of the flight crew against their employers, which seek more flexibility in times of inclement weather and congestion when longer shifts may be needed. Currently, airlines can ask pilots to work extra time and an airplane captain can use her or his own discretion to work additional hours when delays are anticipated.

Most airlines operate under restrictions carved out in trade union contracts, and some EU national governments impose tighter restrictions than those called under EU law.

The 2008 regulation on flight safety gave more muscle to EASA over aircraft operations, crew standards and safety training. It also called for a review of the flight duty hours to address trade union concerns.

Work hours depends on the time of day a pilot goes on duty and how many flight sectors - from one destination to another - are flown. Night duty generally means anytime the flight crew is working between 2 a.m. and 4:59 a.m.

In November 2008, a study submitted to EASA by MOEBUS Aviation consultancy in Zürich argued that pilots can lose awareness after 10 hours and recommended flight duty periods for crew “should not exceed 10 hours overnight.”