A spokesperson from the flag carrier told Doha News that it is working to put “the most rigorous fatigue risk management programme in place.”
Some pilots at Qatar Airways have complained of long working hours and exhaustion due to staff shortages according to a recent report by Reuters. The pilots say that airline management have also dismissed complaints of fatigue, raising concerns over what the pilots have described as their deteriorating mental and physical wellbeing.
“This is obviously a huge health and safety issue for the pilots themselves – and the people they’re flying,” Isobel Archer of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre told the news agency.
The concerns came following staff-reductions triggered by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which heavily impacted the aviation industry globally.
With many aircrafts grounded due to worldwide travel restrictions at the time, Qatar Airways managed to maintain a significant amount of its operation while reducing its staff by 15%-20%. A further 27% cut was made in 2021.
As a result, pilots have reportedly been subjected to longer working hours.
“I fell asleep during the descent with 400 passengers on board,” said ‘Erik’ to Reuters, a pseudonym for someone who works at Qatar Airways.
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“You can’t do anything. Your body is just screaming for rest. You feel the pain inside of your chest and you’re unable to keep your eyes open,” he added.
‘Erik’ said that his manager also refused to give him and six other flight crew members proper time to rest. Whilst staff can file out a fatigue report, ‘Erik’ abstained from doing so in fear of possible retribution.
“We’re overworked and fatigued – but I never filled out a fatigue report because I don’t want to be in the spotlight,” said Erik.
Another first officer claimed he had filed eight fatigue reports, which were rejected as only…