“The keyword here is: relief. We are relieved that the mounting financial costs and pressure these 3 well-respected pilot representatives endured for the past 7 years ends now. We are relieved that our colleagues and their families will no longer be living in uncertainty. We are relieved that the unions that stood by their side finally saw justice was made. This is a good reason to celebrate,” says ECA’s Vice-President Otjan de Bruijn. Read more +

Ryanair loses appeal of failed defamation action against pilots, Independent.ie

Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, social distancing rules pose a significant challenge for pilots whose license or medical certificate is expiring soon. This is why many countries are introducing flexible arrangements for extensions. However, these exemptions from the rules are not in line with ICAO’s minimum Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). Technically, the extension of the licenses are therefore only valid within the territory of the respective state, unless this state files a request for different standards for its own operators. The difference with ICAO has to be accepted by other states. This however hasn’t happened at a large scale so far. Take a look at the step by step guide by IFALPA if your license is about to expire. 

Experts are warning that the coronavirus pandemic is not just threatening the physical health but also causing emotional distress and possibly affecting our mental health and well-being. Pilots are no exception to this. While some are facing an increased workload due to intensive cargo or emergency operations, others are grounded at home fearing the potential consequences of this crisis for their income and employment. Before these stressors cause havoc airlines need to make proactive use of Peer Support Programmes for their crews’ physical and mental fitness, says the European Pilot Peer Supportive Initiative in a statement. Pilot Peer Support plays a crucial role not only during ‘normal operations’ but also in this pandemic.

13M€ over seven years through the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme is going to EASA. It will be used for urgent research actions in the area of environmental protection and aviation safety. Research activities covered include topics such as environmental research, vulnerability of manned aircraft to drone strikes, and effectiveness of flight time limitations.

We have no doubt about the resilience of our airline group thanks to its “very strong balance sheet and substantial cash liquidity” amounting to over €4 billion. Pilots are nevertheless ready to play their part, shows a letter from members of the Ryanair Transnational Pilot Group (RTPG) sent out to Ryanair & its subsidiaries on 21 March. Since then, Ryanair has sought to use schemes of state support for furloughed staff to avoid redundancies. And Austria's Public Employment Service rejected the dismissal of 550 Lauda employees who were registered with the early warning system.

As the aviation industry adapts to the restrictions put in place to combat COVID-19, the regular fatigue measures for flights are being pushed to their limits more than normal. In particular, repatriation flights can be longer than usual and may involve limited or no opportunities for rest at destination ports. For cargo operations, pilots continuously face such restrictions. The IFALPA HUPER Fatigue Management Working Group has provided some initial recommendations for operators and crews to consider whilst managing the risks of fatigue during these operations.