United kingdom Daily news: Flight safety: MPs express concern over European proposal to 'increase' how many hours pilots can fly

Rabu, 30 Mei 2012

Flight safety: MPs express concern over European proposal to 'increase' how many hours pilots can fly

Flight safety: MPs express concern over European proposal to 'increase' how many hours pilots can fly

By Travelmail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 06:40 EST, 30 May 2012 | UPDATED: 06:43 EST, 30 May 2012

MPs have expressed concerns that proposed European rules for plane pilots' flying hours and working conditions could put safety at risk, unless they are improved.

The House of Commons Transport Committee report has examined draft proposals from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to change the rules that govern how many hours a pilot can fly.

And it found night-time pilot duty proposals a particular worry.

Concerns: The pilots' union has already advised MPs that the changes would see pilots flying with tiredness levels equal to putting them four times over the legal alcohol limit

Committee chairman Louise Ellman said: 'We are also concerned at the possibility that a pilot could land a plane after 22 hours awake.'

Launching the committee's report, Mrs Ellman said the UK currently implemented stricter flight-time regulations than some other European countries.

But under the new rules proposed by EASA, the UK would not be able to have its own regime.

She said that under the existing UK regulations '43 per cent of pilots have reported falling asleep involuntarily at some point while on duty...and this shows how fatigue is already an issue in aviation'.

Concerns: Proposed European rules for plane pilots' flying hours are under discussion

The committee took evidence from consultant Mick Spencer, who wrote a report on the EASA proposals.

In its report, the committee said: 'We share Mick Spencer's concern that "the new regulations are setting a standard that accepts a higher level of fatigue more generally and, if not managed properly, that could well lead to a situation where the accident risk will increase".'

Pilots' union BALPA has said that workers are on duty for a maximum of nine hours which could rise to almost 13.

Mrs Ellman said: 'Current EU proposals risk making the situation worse, by lowering the UK's current standards. A lowest-common-denominator approach to safety will not benefit passengers, airlines or crew.

'The proposed 11-hour duty period at night for pilots flies in the face of scientific evidence. It should be reduced to a 10-hour maximum. We are also concerned at the possibility that a pilot could land a plane after 22 hours awake.'

She added: 'The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) must do more to monitor pilot hours so that long duty periods are the exception not the rule, and we are also concerned about a culture of under-reporting of pilot fatigue, which the CAA must tackle.'

MPs accepted that common European flight-time limitations could improve aviation safety for UK passengers travelling on non-UK airlines, but for these benefit s to be realised, the European standards must be uniformly high, the committee said.

Mrs Ellman added: 'EASA's current proposals should be revised before the Government makes any commitment to their adoption.

'It is important that the Government addresses our concerns as the legislative process continues in Europe.'

The Department for Transport said they would only support EASA's final proposals if the CAA was 'content that they provide an appropriate level of protection against crew fatigue'.

A CAA spokesman said: 'We have already made further representations to EASA on their draft proposals that capture issues raised by the committee.

'We think the current proposals, amended by our ongoing input, provide a sound basis to maintain the UK's current high safety levels and actually increase safety for UK passengers travelling on some other European airlines.'

Jim McAuslan, general secretary of pilots' union BALPA, said: 'This report should be a wake-up call to the Government that it must stand up for UK-level aviation safety standards and not allow them to be watered down. This is not for pilots' sake, but for the travelling public.'

He added: 'The MPs are right to say that the proposed rules accept "a higher level of fatigue" and could well lead to a situation where the accident rate will increase.

'Given that, we totally agree that these rules must be improved before adoption could be considered by the UK.'