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Pilots and cabin crew within Europe's aviation sector are facing increasing pressure to work extended hours and hide tiredness indicators, jeopardizing security measures, according to a comprehensive investigation.

Systemic Weakening of Safety Standards

Expense trimming and profit maximization strategies by carriers have “gradually eroded” security standards, with many fatigued staff feeling too intimidated to challenge management decisions, the research revealed.

The study, including 6,900 workers, also highlighted worries among flight attendants who expressed being compelled to focus on onboard retail of perfumes and drinks, creating a conflict with their primary role of ensuring passenger safety.

Pandemic Impact

The report indicated that the Covid pandemic had accelerated a decline in employment standards.

Researchers stated that a cohort of experienced aviators had left the industry, succeeded by younger, more affordable and flexible employees who were inclined to accept insecure agreements that undermine their ability to uphold protocols.

Staff Assurance Dwindling

Upon questioning about their assurance in resisting against decisions that appeared hazardous, over 50% of participants stated they did not feel empowered to “adjust orders” from supervisors based on security concerns.

These findings showed a deterioration since a prior investigation, which found a large majority of pilots believed they could to adjust directives.

About 30% of pilots confessed they were sometimes hesitant to take security actions out of fear of potential negative consequences.

Dual Responsibilities and Mental Pressure

“The transition toward onboard commerce responsibilities risks weakening the security-focused essence of cabin crew roles, creating divided loyalties, psychosocial strain, and legal ambiguities,” researchers wrote.

“Although commercial pressures may make such practices appealing for airlines, they come at a cost to worker wellbeing, safety standards and professional integrity.”

Safety Layers Weakened

Participants in the research referred to a “layered defense system”, with safety layers being “gradually eroded (creating gaps) for financial reasons, leaving the final barrier to incidents reliant on luck and fortune rather than strong safeguards”.

Budget Carrier Expansion

Amid the increasing prevalence of budget airlines, and a recovery in flight volumes post-COVID, staff are under pressure to endure extended hours, with fewer opportunities to recover.

As a result, 42% of all employees say management prioritizes rostering over safety, the study authors discovered.

Exhaustion Issues

Tiredness is a persistent problem, with staff often feeling they are unable to ask for rest even when they are tired or unwell.

Almost one in three pilots and almost half of cabin crew confessed they sometimes pause to declare themselves unfit to fly.

Anonymous Testimonies

Crew were asked for their views, which were provided confidentially. A participant stated: “It's as if I've done something wrong just for being sick.” A different account mentioned their European base manager shouting: “You’re here to fucking sell.”

Additional respondents expressed not feeling valued. An individual noted their employer “views me as just a statistic and nothing else. There is no regard for mental wellbeing or physical wellbeing. They take pride in revenue above employee welfare. It has a negative organizational environment and a atmosphere of intimidation. This apprehension originates from the amount of people they sack for trivial causes.”

Psychological Wellbeing Concern

Upon inquiry about their wellness, and whether they felt airlines valued their personal goals and health, over two-thirds of all crew scored under the positive threshold for psychological welfare, while nearly four-fifths considered themselves “treated as objects”.

Atypical Employment

The research found atypical employment, such as temporary or freelance agreements, or third-party employment as instead of permanent positions by the carrier, was a worry because those groups described poorer circumstances and reduced measures of wellbeing.

Younger age groups and those employed in Polish, the Czech Republic, Hungary and other eastern European nations were inclined to hold atypical positions versus senior staff.

Among the youngest workers, 41% were in atypical employment, while over half of eastern Europeans were on temporary agreements.

Work Intensity Growth

The intensity of employment had increased relative to a decade ago due to digitalisation, mechanization and increased traveler numbers, allowing less time for staff to execute their duties effectively, the authors explained.

Intimidation Tactics

“A concerning trend is the increasing use of ‘management by fear,’ where welfare is not directly connected to security results,” the authors claim. “Atypical work persists, and the dangers it created a ten years back are now experienced throughout the industry.”

Sector Alerts

The authors said that, without improvements to rules and agreements, Europe’s aviation industry risked losing its “safety edge”.

“Employment terms are no longer just a societal concern – they have an impact on security, welfare and fatigue that are all connected. Lacking equitable and secure jobs, we cannot maintain a secure and robust European aviation sector,” noted one researcher.

A sector spokesperson warned: “The race to the bottom on contracts now affects all aviators – and when pilots are under pressure, passengers feel the risk, too. Such practices require immediate scrutiny.”