Overview

• A non-representative VC survey of more than 900 pilots found 93% took a short sleep during flights in recent months and 44% reported doing so regularly.
• VC vice-president Katharina Dieseldorff says napping has shifted from an occasional recovery tool to a response to structural overload.
• Pilots cite tight rosters, staffing shortages and operational pressure as key drivers, with the strain intensifying during summer periods.
• The union notes that controlled rest by one of two crew members during cruise is generally acceptable, with flights typically on autopilot between takeoff and landing.
• VC frames fatigue as a safety risk and urges airlines, regulators and politicians to strengthen duty-time monitoring and adopt evidence-based fatigue risk management, while naming no specific carriers.