Risky Skies: The Toll of Pilot Rosters on Mental Health and Aviation Safety”

Written by Anisha Samant

Today’s TOI explains, talking about the pilot’s roster blew my mind. Based on the facts highlighted in the article, rosters are prepared on the ‘maximum work, minimum rest’ principle. Airline companies have designed rosters that allow them to cut costs and thoroughly utilize the pilot’s abilities. 

What is more alarming and evident is the ignorance of the mental health impact these rosters will have on the professionals. 

Let’s see how – 

• According to the software-generated rosters, on average a pilot’s day looks like this –  they report to duty at 8 am and end it by doing the last landing by 8 pm. Duty time is 12 hours. A pilot’s workweek often extends to seven days.

Research has shown that long working hours can negatively impact mental health and can lead to anxiety and depression. It has also been confirmed that work shifts of 12 hours are more likely to exacerbate stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction along with negative health outcomes. 

• A pilot gets a 15-hour rest period after a day at work. For example,  a pilot who lands at 8pm will have to report for an 11 am flight the next morning. 

Imagine if a pilot is a Mumbaikar and resides in Mulund. The question is at what time is the pilot reaching home and leaving for work? 

Rest periods after work have the potential to improve mental health by allowing the body and brain to reset and recharge, and cope with daily stress. Rest periods can also help in improving mood, mitigating burnout and enhancing sleep quality.

• The pilot’s roster keeps changing every day. One day they may get a wake-up call at 1 am, next day it can be 8 am or 7 pm. What this says is that the pilot’s sleep schedule is extremely irregular. 

An irregular sleeping pattern can harm a person’s ability to sleep and function properly and can result in several health problems.

Research has also confirmed that sleep deficiency changes activity in some parts of the brain. A sleep-deficient person may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling their emotions and behavior, and coping with change. Sleep deficiency has also been linked to suicide and risk-taking behavior.

Human errors are one of the major causes of aviation accidents. Unstable and long work schedule for pilots not only endangers the crew’s lives but also compromise the safety of the passengers on board. Playing with thousands of human lives under the pretext of cost-cutting depicts an approach of inhumanity and needs reconsideration from all the major stakeholders involved.   

The writer is a counseling psychologist and psychotherapist trained in CBT based approach