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Pilots should go undergo 'tiredness test' before flights to stop them falling asleep in the cockpit, union says


The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA), which represents over 10,000 UK pilots, warned politicians that lethargy affecting captains and first officers presented the single biggest threat to plane passenger safety

Pilots should be made to undergo 'tiredness tests' before they fly to help stop them from falling asleep in the cockpit, MPs have been told.

The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA), which represents over 10,000 UK pilots, warned politicians that lethargy affecting captains and first officers presented the single biggest threat to plane passenger safety.

The union said it wants airlines to use computer programmes to estimate pilots' fatigue levels based on their flight rosters, which are created weeks in advance of their duties.

Long working hours and regularly crossing different time zones are said to contribute towards severe tiredness inside plane cockpits.

Under rules set by the European Aviation Standards Agency, which regulates working hours, pilots who declare they are too tired to safely lead a journey are not compelled to fly.

However, it is claimed aviators are still operating flight controls over fears they could be penalised or even lose their jobs if they report being too fatigued to work.

BALPA has proposed airlines could use a computer based model based on the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, a study used to measure an individual's drowsiness.

The scale ranks a person's tiredness from 1, classified as extremely alert, to 9, recorded as extremely sleepy. The union suggested no pilot should be allowed to fly if they are determined to be an 8 (sleepy) or above when tested.

Dr Rob Hunter, head of flight safety for BALPA told The Telegraph that pilots were at risk of sleeping on the job unless workloads were managed more efficiently.

He said: "Pilots can be rostered duties which we know will leave them fatigued and that is normal and acceptable in this industry.

"Performance is affected because they are at an increased risk of falling asleep. Other effects are that pilots cannot think as quickly nor when they are tired and this is a problem depending on the situation.

"The regulations are written so as to give airlines a great deal of flexibility but that gives the possibility of them rostering a pilot with severe fatigue. The regulator thinks that the airlines can be trusted to manage this situation but we do not.

"There is a discrepancy in the number of official fatigue reports received by the Civil Aviation Authority and what pilots tell us they are experiencing."

Dr Hunter called for politicians to help change legislation surrounding pilot working hours at a health seminar held at Portcullis House in October.

The Air Safety Group, a campaign group comprised of aviation professionals to improve passenger safety, said it supported BALPA's proposal and called for a scientific study to examine the risks caused by fatigue.

Some MPs have declared support for pilots to be assessed for tiredness before flights, but others said more research was needed.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "Our aviation industry prides itself on incredibly high standards and a strong reputation for safety and BALPA are absolutely right to for better rules to improve the safety both of pilots and of passengers. I fully support their proposals."

Airlines including British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic said it met all safety requirements and EASA standards when rostering their pilots.

The EASA said managing fatigue is a shared responsibility between airline management and individual crew members

A spokesperson said: "Responsibility for preventing fatigue cannot rest on the airline alone or the crew member alone; all involved must contribute to achieving the goal.

"Only training and education can change individual behaviours. Therefore, an airline should provide adequate fatigue training, as well as tools for staff to use when assessing their own alertness."