Survey Reveals Most German Pilots Nap Mid-Flight Due to Fatigue

A new survey by the German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit reveals that almost all German pilots have taken naps during flights because of exhaustion linked to staff shortages and intense schedules. The poll of more than 900 members found that 93 percent had napped on a flight in recent months.

According to the results, 12 percent said they nap on every flight, 44 percent nap regularly, 33 percent nap occasionally and 7 percent said they could no longer count how often they had napped. Only 3 percent described their nap as a one-off. Most respondents were pilots for German airlines, over half from Lufthansa, while the union also surveyed 64 Ryanair pilots and three from easyJet.

Katharina Dieseldorff, Vice President of Vereinigung Cockpit, said pilots continue to complete missions “despite being extremely fatigued” due to tight schedules, staffing shortages and growing operational pressure. “Napping has long been the norm in German cockpits. What was originally intended as a short-term recovery measure has developed into a permanent remedy for structural overload,” she noted.

The union said pilots are working within a corporate culture that has ignored fatigue, particularly during peak summer months. It has been calling for action for years and now demands that airlines, regulators and politicians recognize fatigue as a safety issue, better monitor compliance with flight-time limits and adopt science-based Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) that are not solely driven by commercial interests.

Lufthansa responded that it follows strict rules on flight and duty planning to ensure sufficient rest and adheres to the highest safety standards. It added that “Controlled Rest” on the flight deck is a preventive measure with clear policies designed to improve alertness and performance in the interest of safety. In the survey, “napping” referred to such controlled rest periods, not sleep during takeoff or landing.

Of those who admitted to napping, 44 percent said it occurred on short-haul flights and 56 percent on long-haul flights. Joji Waites, Head of Flight Safety at the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA), said: “In the post-Covid norm, pilots are working longer and harder than ever, so it’s no surprise to hear that our German colleagues are raising concerns over fatigue, which is a genuine flight safety risk.”


Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=Lufthansa, https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/travel-health-security/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, independent.co.uk