Majority of Airline Pilots Have Fallen Asleep During Flights, Harrowing New Study Reveals

In a study likely to spike the anxiety of nervous flyers, it was revealed that a majority of airline pilots have fallen asleep while flying.

More than 75 percent of pilots admit to having dozed off midair in the previous four weeks, according to a report from the European Cockpit Association (ECA). Meanwhile, less than 40 percent of pilots report when they are “unfit or fatigued.”

Still, more than 24 percent of pilots said they do not report fatigue and fly anyway for fear or punishment.

“When pilots fear career consequences, fatigue goes unreported and the risk returns to the cockpit. Airlines and authorities must ensure genuinely non-punitive reporting and use of Commander’s Discretion,” ECA Board Director Capt. Coen George said, per the report. “This ‘fear factor’ raises questions about the corporate safety culture at certain airlines and the impact this can have on safety, because no pilot should be flying when fatigued.”

The study — which was conducted based on the responses of 7,200 pilots across 32 countries — claims “significant challenges remain” in managing fatigue-related flight safety risks.

“This report provides all the data needed to repair Europe’s broken fatigue reporting, to strengthen EASA regulations to ensure airlines proactively manage their fatigue risks, and to enforce once and for all the requirement for non-punitive fatigue reporting and use of Commander’s Discretion to extend a flight,” ECS President Capt. Tanja Harter said, per the report.

The ECA is calling for stronger fatigue-risk management, effective reporting systems, protection for pilots who report fatigue and robust oversight.