Plans to change how pilots’ working hours are regulated have been rejected by MEPs due to safety fears.
The European Commission wanted to standardise the varying time limits for flying across member states.
But pilots’ union the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) claimed the change could mean UK aircrew landing planes after being awake for 22 hours, flying longest haul flights with less crew and working seven early starts in a row rather than three currently allowed.
MEPs on the European Parliament’s transport committee voted to block the new rules by 21 to 13, reports the BBC.
The new rules could now be decided on in October by the full European Parliament.
Air travel regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the UK Government had backed the changes, saying they would improve safety for UK passengers flying on some European airlines.
And it dismissed the union’s claims that under some circumstances – with standby and flying time combined – pilots could be awake for 22-hours.
"It is important to understand this scenario will almost never happen," a CAA spokesman said.
A Balpa spokesman said rejection of the new rules reflected "pilots’ concerns about the way the rules had been put together without proper scientific scrutiny and underpinning evidence".
Last week, a survey of 500 commercial pilots by the union suggested more than half had fallen asleep while in charge of an aircraft.
