When air passengers picture a plane’s cockpit, they may imagine an array of instruments and hopefully a view into clear skies, but they are unlikely to envision their pilot snoozing at the controls. However, that is the reality according to new data from Germany, where over 90% of pilots have admitted to taking a nap during a flight.
During a recent survey of 900 pilots conducted by the German aviation trade union, Vereinigung Cockpit Association (VC), 93% of respondents said they have napped on duty. The figure drops to 44% of pilots on short-haul routes, but on long-haul goes up to 56%. And, almost three-quarters of those surveyed (74%) described napping as standard practice.
To be clear, the time spent sleeping occurs during what the union calls “controlled rest periods” during the flight. This means pilots are not falling asleep by accident but instead are taking an intentional break from flying the aircraft while cruising and never during phases such as take-off or landing.
Noting that the survey was a voluntary exercise and is not meant to provide a “representative” view, VC nonetheless released figures showing 12% of those who answered admitted to napping on every flight. Another 44% said they nap regularly, 33% occasionally, and 3% said they had only ever napped once. Worryingly perhaps, seven per cent of the pilots said they could not quantify how many times they had taken a snooze.
It is not the act of napping itself that is a cause for concern, though, according to the union and some airlines at least. Indeed, aircraft are configured with rest areas for crew, and even the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) acknowledges that “controlled rest” can help with crew fatigue.
Similarly, in a statement, German flag carrier Lufthansa said it adheres to rules around “controlled rest on the flight deck”, which it described as “a preventive measure with clear policies and regulations regarding its usage. It intends to increase alertness and flight crew performance in the interest of safety.”
But such downtime must not be counted as part of the mandatory rests between flights. And the ubiquitous need for napping shown in the survey is indicative of a wider systemic problem, VC warns. Commenting on the findings, Katharina Dieseldorff, the union’s vice president, linked the survey’s findings to staff shortages and operational pressures in the aviation industry.
“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 said, adding, “A short nap is not critical in itself. However, a permanently exhausted cockpit crew poses a significant risk.”
