Brussels
Airline unions across the EU are protesting a proposed plan to extend the maximum hours pilots are allowed to fly. The EU wants to allow pilots to be on flight duty for 14 hours at a stretch, rather than the 12 allowed under many EU countries’ regulations. British union spokesman Mervyn Granshaw said the proposal was the result of “the sorry spectacle of politicians trying to decide what hours should be flown and when. They came to a shoddy compromise which is unsafe, unsound, and impractical.” He cited a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration study that found that pilots who worked 13 hours or more became fatigued and were far more likely to crash. European transport ministers said they were merely trying to standardize flying regulations across the EU.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floodsCartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate changeIn the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
