A report published this week found that more than 3 in 4 pilots reported falling asleep on duty at least once in the four weeks before being surveyed.
Some 7,200 European pilots responded to the survey, which was conducted by aviation consultancy Baines Simmons on behalf of the European Cockpit Association (ECA). More than three-quarters of them reported that while operating an aircraft, they experienced “microsleeps,” which are typically defined as sleep episodes lasting a few seconds.
According to the FAA, microsleeps are associated with lapses in attention. The agency said in 2010 that in-flight recordings of brain activity show episodes occur most frequently during the cruise portion of long haul operations. They are more than nine times as likely during nighttime flights compared to daytime flights, and their likelihood increases with flight duration.
The ECA survey also found that pilot reports of microsleep, insufficient rest, extending flight duties beyond legal maximums, and fear of reporting fatigue were all unchanged compared to the association’s 2023 study, indicating a persistent problem among European airlines. The group said “significant challenges remain” in managing fatigue-related safety risks and called for stronger fatigue-risk management, reporting systems, and protections for pilots who do report.
To address the issue, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in February published an opinion that would introduce “harmonized and state-of-the-art” flight time limitations for commercial aircraft used in emergency medical service, air taxi and single-pilot operations. The European Commission will decide whether to adopt the proposed measures, which include amendments and changes to certain definitions under the EU regulations governing technical requirements and administrative procedures related to air operations.
“If we are serious about managing the safety risks related to pilot fatigue, the numbers we see in this report—and the lack of any meaningful improvement over the past three years—are a clear wake-up call for airlines, authorities and [EASA] that something must change in the way Europe deals with pilot fatigue,” said Tanja Harter, president of the ECA, in a news release.
Pilot Fatigue: A Widespread, Persistent Problem
The ECA represents over 44,000 pilots from the national pilot associations in 33 European states. The association enlisted Baines Simmons, an aviation safety services company, to survey thousands of pilots in 32 countries between August 4 and September 7. The survey asked them to recount their experiences from the preceding four weeks, giving a window into their experiences during the busy summer period.
“This survey captures how European pilots experience fatigue risk management in practice,” said Ian Holder, managing director of Baines Simmons. “It reflects pilots’ first-hand accounts rather than a direct measure of risk or safety outcomes, which must be assessed through additional means.”
About 77 percent of respondents said they experienced at least one microsleep while operating an aircraft in the previous four weeks. About 11 percent of those flying for low-cost carriers reported more than 10 during that span. Some 34 percent of low-cost carrier pilots reported more than five microsleeps, compared to about 31 percent flying for charter operators, 20 percent flying for network carriers, and 25 percent overall.
In addition, nearly 39 percent of pilots said they “usually or always” lacked sufficient rest to prevent cumulative fatigue. About 77 percent said they lacked sufficient rest at least once.
One of the report’s most concerning findings is the lack of fatigue reporting. About 37 percent of pilots said they report when unfit or fatigued, compared to 24.2 percent who said they do not report and fly anyway. About half of respondents said they flew at least once in the past three months despite realizing they should have reported fatigue in hindsight. More than one-third described a fear of punishment.
“This ‘fear factor’ raises questions about the corporate safety culture at certain airlines and the impact this can have on safety, because no pilot should be flying when fatigued,” said Coen Goerge, board director of the ECA.
About 69 percent of pilots expressed concern about negative consequences if they refused an extension under the European commander’s discretion policy, which typically permits flight-duty extensions beyond legal maximums in exceptional circumstances. That marks an increase from the 2023 report, which the ECA said indicates a weakness in safety culture. About 38 percent of pilots said they extended their duty at least once in the preceding four weeks, while about 15 percent said they did so twice or more.
“Being pushed by your airline to extend a flight duty, to make up for delays or overly optimistic planning, or being reprimanded when refusing to extend are well-known phenomena at certain airlines,” said George. “We have alerted aviation authorities multiple times about such pressures – which are clearly detrimental to our safety margins—but we still wait to see meaningful action to stop this.”
Only about half of pilots said their airline managed fatigue well, and just 12 percent said they trust their carrier’s fatigue reporting system. Pilots working for low-cost and wet-lease operators reported more negative experiences with reporting systems than did those at network carriers. Airlines with air operator certificates in Malta and Ireland faced the most concern, while those with AOCs in Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands demonstrated stronger reporting cultures.
“When pilots fear career consequences, fatigue goes unreported and the risk returns to the cockpit,” said George. “Airlines and authorities must ensure genuinely non-punitive reporting and use of commander’s discretion.”
Harter said the report “provides all the data needed” to enforce nonpunitive fatigue reporting requirements and strengthen EASA oversight of airlines.
“Waiting for another three years to discover that nothing has changed, is simply not an option,” she said. “What is needed now is the political will to act.”