Exhausted jet pilots 'are putting passengers at risk'

An investigation has found that twice as many pilots are flying when dangerously tired than five years ago.

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Thousands of air passengers' lives are being put at risk by exhausted pilots 'bullied' by their bosses to meet tight timetables and turnarounds. This picture has been posed by models

A separate survey by the British Airline Pilots' Association revealed that four-fifths of pilots admitted they had been affected by fatigue while flying.

A spokesman for the association said the problem was split evenly between pilots of budget airlines and traditional carriers.

He added: "In the studies, there were as many fatigued British Airways pilots as there were from easyJet or Ryanair. It's not confined to pilots on long-haul or short haul. It's across the board."

In one incident, with the captain resting and the first officer sleeping, only a 'quick reaction' prevented a plane turning into the path of another aircraft.

In another case, a tired pilot nearly stalled an aircraft in mid-air shortly after take-off, the BBC investigation found.

One man admitted: "I have fallen asleep in the air – where you close your eyes for a second and realise that ten minutes have passed."

The BBC uncovered more than 30 pilots who had flown while unfit through fatigue and experts are worried that a mid-air accident could happen 'any time now'.

The increase in the number of exhausted pilots has been blamed on fiercer competition between carriers.

Air crew said managers ignored their concerns and many reported that admitting their fatigue to their bosses is a taboo.

One pilot, known as Andy, said: "I was genuinely fatigued and whenever I reported that I was completely exhausted the operator says, 'Are you refusing to do the duty?'

"He should not have been asking me, let alone bullying me into doing it."

The BALPA survey found a third of pilots believed they would risk disciplinary action if they reported their fatigue while 12 per cent were prepared to carry on flying without reporting that they were exhausted.

The association's chairman, Mervyn Grimshaw,said pilot fatigue was 'the single biggest issue facing aviation today'.

He added: "At the moment we are not seeing it appear as accidents or incidents – but we're getting closer to that point."

There are limits on how many hours pilots can fly and there is no evidence these are being breached, with most airlines reporting that their average hours had barely changed in recent years.

But two-thirds of pilots surveyed by BALPA said they were flying more than five years ago. Some short-haul crews now do six flights in a day without leaving the aeroplane.

That means six landings and six take-offs – the parts of the flight which require the most concentration – without a break.

One pilot working in the 'no frills' sector spoke of an incident in which an aircraft began to turn, putting it on collision course with another passenger plane.

Air Traffic Control radioed an urgent warning but there was no response.

The plane was on autopilot while the captain rested, with the first officer left in charge. When the captain realised his second- in-command was not responding to the warning, he looked across – and saw his copilot was asleep.

Aviation consultant Dr Ian Perry said this kind of incident was typical of the dangers which arose when tired air crew continued to work.

He said: "You might miss a radio call when you're thinking about, 'Is my altitude right?'. That's chronic fatigue.

"I think in the last five years it has doubled. We've been skating on fairly thin ice for some years and have got away with it."

John Hanlon of the European Low Fares Airline Association, which represents budget airlines, said: "Air crew flying duties are strictly regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority... which ensures that no pilot can fly more than 900 hours per annum (an average of 17 hours per week).

"These safety limits are met by all airlines and are subject to regular audit."