The issue of pilots’ working hours has been raised again after reports emerged of two pilots falling asleep on a British-based airline flying into the UK.
The incident, revealed by the Civil Aviation Authority, happened on August 13 on a long-haul flight less than two hours after take-off.
According to the CAA report, the pilot and co-pilot on the Airbus A330 had agreed to take turns having short naps, but then one woke up to find the other had been asleep at the same time, leaving the flight on auto-pilot.
The CAA is not obliged to reveal the name of the airline but is obliged to provide details of such incidents when it receives requests.
On this occasion, a news agency requested information on incidents of pilots falling asleep during flights during the last two years.
By law, pilots have to report to the CAA any incidents that might endanger a flight.
The CAA agrees not to provide too many details in a bid to encourage pilots and crew to speak out.
It uses the information to improve flight safety and to identify any worrying trends.
A CAA spokesman said: "To put this in context, UK airlines make around 1 million flights each year and this was the only reported incident of its kind within two years."
He said the pilots are not expected to face disciplinary action over the incident.
The problem of pilot tiredness was revealed in a recent study by pilots’ union Balpa which showed that 45% of the pilots surveyed had suffered from ‘significant fatigue’.
The study revealed that about 20% of pilots believe their performance is ‘compromised’ more than once a week.
