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Pilot fatigue is a major public concern

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A new poll has revealed the overwhelming majority of the travelling public have concerns about European Union plans to make British pilots fly when they are dangerously tired. The ComRes poll found 89 per cent of the British public said they would be concerned about being in an aircraft flown by a pilot who has been awake for 22 hours, something new EU rules cutting British safety standards will allow. Only 1 per cent said they were not at all concerned about the proposed changes. Pilots' union BALPA is urging government ministers, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and British MEPs to reject 'the unsafe and unscientific new EU flying rules and go back to the drawing board.' BALPA says if the rules are passed by MEPs and government ministers in the coming weeks, British flight standards will fall from amongst the best to the lowest common denominator in Europe. Jim McAuslan, BALPA general secretary, said: 'The British public are understandably concerned about their pilots being awake for 22 hours before landing a plane under new EU rules. Evidence shows this is similar to being four times over the legal alcohol limit for flying.' He added: 'The time is running out for our ministers, MEPs, the UK regulator and MPs to take urgent action and reject these unsafe EU rules to ensure that the skies above Britain remain among the safest in the world.' BALPA says the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 'has refused to provide a single medically-qualified or fatigue scientist to support the proposed rules or details of the relevant expertise of the people who put the rules together.'

BALPA news release and video.

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