The Association of European Airlines has welcomed the just-published proposed rules for new Europe-wide flight-time limitation legislation, but pilot associations are deeply unhappy with several aspects of it.
The consultation period over this highly charged issue has just begun.
AEA secretary general Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus describes the European Aviation Safety Agency's notice of proposed amendment to the existing rules as "substantially balanced". He suggests that the pilots can safely accept this and negotiate better local terms, explaining: "Whether or not to go further than the legally binding limits is up to the collective negotiating process of the airline and its unions. We commend the agency that it resisted the pressure from the union to become a surrogate negotiator for employment terms and conditions."
Representing Europe's pilots, however, the European Cockpit Association (ECA) accuses EASA of "disregarding scientific evidence", accusing it of proposing legislation "designed to avoid costs to the airlines".
The association's president Capt Martin Chalk says: "The agency had a unique opportunity to present a solid, science-based and safety-oriented FTL law - one that is comparable to what the US Federal Aviation Administration proposes, and to the UK's well-developed and industry supported FTL rules. Yet, this opportunity has been missed, which puts the EU at the bottom end of international safety regulators."
The ECA cites examples of what it alleges:
Maximum day duty period: EASA proposal, 14h; FAA proposal, 13h; scientific study, 12h.
Maximum night duty period (eg: starting at 00:00): EASA 12h for seven consecutive nights; FAA 9h for 3 consecutive nights; scientific studies 10h, with "number of consecutive nights to be limited".
The ECA secretary general Philip von Schöppenthau says: "EASA seems to suggest Europe's pilots are more fatigue-resistant and can fly longer hours than their American counterparts and more than scientific studies say is safe."
Rejecting AEA accusations of social and industrial engineering, the ECA says: "We have always been very clear that EU and national laws on pilot fatigue are a matter of safety, and safety must be based on science, as ICAO Annex 6 requires. All social aspects of FTL must be dealt with at company level within the framework of negotiations between pilots and airline management, and/or at European level within the framework of the EU Working Time Directive."
Source: Flight International
