Pilot hours change ‘worries public’

A survey of more than 2,000 adults for the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) showed that nine out of 10 would be worried about being in an aircraft flown by a pilot who has been awake for 22 hours.

Balpa said proposed flying rules being voted on by MEPs in October would lead to pilots operating long-haul flights with two rather than three crew members, working up to seven early starts in a row and being awake for 22 hours if standby hours are taken into account.

The European Commission (EC) said safety was the only objective of its proposal to revise the current EU rules on flight time limitations (FTL). A spokesman said: “The Commission is determined to see stronger, safer rules applying across Europe in relation to FTL.

“The Commission believes the proposal presented to the Council and the Parliament in July will bring about major improvements across Europe for the safety of our citizens and flight crew.”