European pilot survey finds widespread cockpit microsleeps and fatigue

Wall Street Turkish - International (English) · Oct 26, 2026 · 1m

A study involving nearly 7,200 pilots from European airlines revealed that 75% had encountered at least one short, unintentional sleep period in the cockpit over the past month. Around 24% admitted they typically continued flying instead of declaring themselves unfit due to exhaustion. Half reported having piloted a flight in the three months prior to the survey despite being too tired to do so safely. Over a third indicated they did not receive sufficient rest to stop fatigue from accumulating.

Nearly half were worried about adverse repercussions from management if they reported fatigue…