Voting amid a flurry of pilot fatigue studies and flight crew surveys, the European Parliament has approved a plan intended to strengthen and standardize flight and duty time limitations (FTL) and rest requirements for pilots and cabin crewmembers.
Parliament’s support for the new plan took the form of a vote in early October in which it rejected — 387–218, with 66 abstentions — a recommendation from its own Transport and Tourism Committee to disapprove the package of changes. The committee had sought to return the matter to the European Commission (EC) to develop an alternative package with greater protections against crew fatigue.
“Every single national safety regulator supported these measures,” Brian Simpson, chairman of the committee and a supporter of the plan approved by Parliament, said during the parliamentary debate.
The changes will “bring a series of clear safety improvements in crew protection against fatigue,” according to the European Aviation Safety A…
