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Pilots and cabin crew within Europe's aviation sector confront mounting pressure to endure long shifts and conceal signs of fatigue, jeopardizing security measures, according to an extensive investigation.

Systemic Weakening of Security Protocols

Cost reduction and profit maximization efforts by carriers have “systemically weakened” security standards, with many exhausted staff hesitant to question management decisions, the study revealed.

The study, including nearly seven thousand participants, also highlighted concerns among flight attendants who expressed being compelled to focus on in-flight sales of perfumes and alcohol, creating a tension with their primary role of protecting traveler security.

COVID-19 Consequences

The findings indicated that the coronavirus crisis had accelerated a decline in employment standards.

Study authors explained that a cohort of experienced aviators had left the industry, succeeded by younger, more affordable and adaptable employees who were more likely to take on precarious contracts that weaken their ability to maintain standards.

Employee Confidence Dwindling

Upon questioning about their confidence in resisting against decisions that seemed potentially unsafe, more than half of participants reported they did not feel able to “modify instructions” from supervisors based on security concerns.

The results indicated a decline since a 2014 study, which found a large majority of aviators felt able to modify instructions.

About one-third of pilots admitted they were sometimes reluctant to take security actions out of fear of potential negative consequences.

Dual Responsibilities and Mental Pressure

“The shift toward in-flight sales duties risks diluting the security-focused essence of flight attendant work, creating divided loyalties, psychosocial strain, and regulatory uncertainties,” researchers stated.

“While commercial pressures may render these approaches appealing for airlines, they have consequences to employee health, security protocols and ethical standards.”

Safety Layers Weakened

Participants in the research described a “layered defense system”, with safety layers being “gradually eroded (creating gaps) for economic motives, making the final barrier to accidents dependent on chance and fortune rather than robust protection”.

Low-Cost Dominance

Amid the increasing prevalence of low-cost carriers, and a rebound in flight volumes after the pandemic, staff are under pressure to endure extended hours, with reduced opportunities to rest.

As a result, 42% of all employees report leadership prioritizes rostering over security, the researchers found.

Exhaustion Issues

Fatigue is a persistent problem, with workers often believing they are unable to ask for rest even when they are exhausted or unwell.

Almost a third of pilots and almost half of attendants confessed they sometimes pause to declare themselves unfit to fly.

Anonymous Testimonies

Staff were asked for their views, which were shared confidentially. One said: “I feel like a criminal just for falling ill.” A different account mentioned their regional supervisor yelling: “You’re here to fucking sell.”

Others expressed not being appreciated. One said their airline “treats me as a [number] and nothing more. They show no consideration for psychological health or physical wellbeing. It prides itself in revenue above employee welfare. They maintain a negative organizational environment and a culture of fear. This apprehension stems from the amount of individuals they sack for stupid reasons.”

Mental Health Crisis

When asked about their health, and whether they believed airlines cared about their individual aspirations and health, over two-thirds of all staff scored under the positive threshold for psychological welfare, while 78% described themselves as “treated as objects”.

Atypical Employment

The study identified non-traditional work, such as temporary or self-employed contracts, or agency work as instead of permanent positions by the airline, was a concern because those groups described poorer circumstances and reduced measures of wellbeing.

Junior employees and those employed in Poland, the Czech, Hungary and other eastern European nations were more likely to hold non-standard roles compared to senior staff.

Among the youngest workers, nearly half were in atypical employment, while 52% of eastern Europeans were on temporary agreements.

Work Intensity Increase

The intensity of employment had increased relative to a decade ago due to technological advancement, mechanization and increased traveler numbers, leaving reduced opportunity for staff to execute their duties effectively, the researchers explained.

Intimidation Tactics

“A concerning trend is the increasing use of ‘leadership through intimidation,’ where wellbeing is not explicitly linked to safety outcomes,” the researchers claim. “Atypical work hasn’t disappeared, and the dangers it generated a decade ago are now felt throughout the industry.”

Sector Alerts

Researchers said that, absent enhancements to rules and contracts, Europe’s aviation industry faced the danger of losing its “safety edge”.

“Employment terms are no longer just a social issue – they have an effect on security, wellbeing and fatigue that are all connected. Lacking fair and stable employment, we cannot maintain a safe and robust European aviation sector,” said a study author.

A sector spokesperson warned: “The race to the bottom on contracts now touches every pilot – and when pilots are under pressure, travelers experience the danger, too. These abuses require immediate scrutiny.”