EASA publishes today a temporary recommendation for airlines to ensure that at least two crew, including at least one qualified pilot, are in the flight crew compartment at all times of the flight. Airlines should re-assess the safety and security risks associated with a flight crew leaving the cockpit due to operational or physiological needs. […]
When the ETUC Executive Committee convened for their meeting on March 10, pilots in the budget carrier Norwegian had been on strike for 11 days. The main demand of the Norwegian Pilot Union (NPU) was to have a collective agreement with their real employer, Norwegian Air Shuttle. In Denmark, Ryanair is establishing a base in […]
By Camilla Turner It is an illness caused by exposure to contaminated air in aircraft – known as a “fume event”. Commercial passenger jets have a system that compresses air from its engines and uses it to pressurise the cabin. However, this can malfunction, causing excess oil particles to enter the supply. The term “aerotoxic […]
Airlines are increasingly using zero-hour contracts, pay-to-fly schemes, and temporary employment agencies based outside the EU to hire pilots and cut costs, practices which undermine passenger safety and social standards, a report by the University of Ghent has found. According to the report, which was financed by the European Commission, airlines have turned to “creative […]
The ITF air quality working group will hold its inaugural meeting at ITF House in London on 27 February to review proposals to address the problem of contaminated air on commercial aircraft and at airports. The ITF has long recognised the negative implications for flight safety and workers’ health of exposure to engine oil fumes […]
By John A. Logan The Department of Transportation (DOT) will soon decide whether or not to grant controversial low-cost airline Norwegian Air International (NAI) a foreign air carrier permit to fly to the U.S. NAI is seeking to establish a “flag of convenience” model in transatlantic aviation, just as has been done in merchant shipping […]
Icelandair pilots have voted overwhelmingly for an agreement negotiated with the company by their union, the Icelandic Airline Pilots Association (FIA), which brings to an end a bitter dispute. The FIA reported that 81 percent of the 278 pilots who took part in the ballot voted, with over 81 percent voting in favour of the […]
On 12 November, the Section Committee of the ITF decided to establish an Air Quality Working Group to more powerfully and systematically raise awareness and find solutions to poor air quality in aircraft and at airports. The ITF has long-recognised the negative safety and health implications of exposure to engine oil fumes on commercial and cargo aircraft. Airline […]