Dutch pilots assoc. worried about aviation safety in budget culture

Dutch pilots association VNV is worried that aviation safety falls below budgeting interests on the priority lists of especially low-cost airlines, a spokesperson said to NRC. The association calls for measures to improve safety in air traffic.

According to the VNV, budget airlines in particular do not have a proper safety culture - their pilots don't get enough rest and are often tired when they have to work. It is often the case at budget airlines that pilots work on a zero-hour contract or as freelancer. These pilots are afraid of losing their job if they complain about safety, and therefore rather keep quiet about their concerns. 

"These companies have to make safety a priority rather than cost", a VNV spokesperson said to thenewspaper. They call on budget airlines to give their pilots permanent contracts. "Then the pilots gain a sense of control. For large companies like KLM it is already so."

This call is in response to a study published by the London School of Economics last week, according to NRC. The study found that 58 percent of European pilots are sometimes tired when they fly. Of the over 7 thousand surveyed pilots, only a third were confident in their employer's safety policy. The study also found that particularly pilots working for freight- or budget airlines suffer from fatigue.