La gestión de la fatiga en la recuperación del tráfico aéreo

17 de diciembre de 2020

IFALPA e IATA han publicado un manifiesto conjunto para alertar de los peligros de que el uso indebido de las excepciones hechas para prolongar las jornadas de los pilotos (una medida excepcional puesta en marcha para dar cabida a los vuelos de transporte de material sanitario y de repatriación) pueda derivar en fatiga acumulada para el piloto y suponer un riesgo para la seguridad.

Así lo han manifestado ambas organizaciones internacionales en un comunicado conjunto emitido esta semana. En él, las organizaciones de representación de pilotos y aerolíneas a nivel mundial recuerdan cómo, al inicio de la pandemia, muchos Estados aprobaron excepciones a las leyes sobre tiempos de trabajo y descanso de tripulaciones aéreas para permitir a los operadores aéreos prolongar las jornadas de los pilotos con el fin de dar amparo legal a las operaciones de repatriación y de transporte sanitario tan necesarias en aquel momento.

El problema se plantea, según IFALPA e IATA, cuando dichas excepciones se usen más allá de las circunstancias para las que fueron diseñados. “A medida que la industria de la aviación se ajusta a una «nueva normalidad» para las operaciones internacionales, es importante que los operadores vuelvan a utilizar los FTL existentes o un FRMS aprobado, ya que el uso continuado de alivios o ampliaciones más allá de los límites normales de tiempo de vuelo y actividad podría introducir el riesgo de fatiga acumulada”.

A continuación, reproducimos el manifiesto íntegro. También puedes descargarlo en el PDF más abajo.

Managing Crew Fatigue During Industry Recovery from Pandemic

IFALPA / IATA Joint Statement

The global outbreak of COVID-19 created an immediate need for aviation to facilitate the repatriation of citizens and the transport of essential supplies. States granting Operators alleviations to their existing Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FTLs) helped prevent crews from being exposed to an increased risk of infection or subject to invasive testing or quarantine while still maintaining their existing operations.

FTL alleviations refer to temporary exceptions to existing regulations as allowed by ICAO. They were introduced as an interim measure to support the continuation of urgent operations in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is concern that some States and operators may use these alleviations outside of the rare and exceptional circumstances for which they were intended.

As the initial emergency conditions of COVID-19 and country restrictions for crew rest are subsiding, and the aviation industry adjusts to a “new normal” for international operations, it is important for operators to return to the use of existing FTLs or an approved FRMS, as the continued use of alleviations or extensions beyond normal flight and duty time limits could introduce the risk of cumulative fatigue. Adaptive mitigation options to avoid FTL extensions should be utilized. Examples include alternative route designs that enable crew layovers in suitable locations, and the use of the ICAO Public Health Corridor concept as described in the ICAO CART guidance1, to name just a couple.

During times of significant change, it is important that managing fatigue and operational safety remain a primary focus for operators. As such Operators must continue encouraging their crew members to provide fatigue and safety reports without fear of consequence.

Collecting and analyzing fatigue data is critical for safety management, however it must be understood that data collected during COVID-19 operations from flights with FTL alleviations is unique in nature and not directly comparable to that of pre-pandemic operations. If the data is not understood in this context, flawed assumptions and ineffective fatigue risk mitigations could be introduced. Some differences may include:

• Crews not working a fullroster
• Flights operated with heavily augmentedcrews
• Different rest facilities used (i.e. Business class seats vs. crewbunks)
• Mindset of crew – ‘Missionfocus’

While vaccines are being approved and distributed, COVID-19 will continue to impact aviation, and the “hot spots” will continue to change. At the onset of the pandemic Industry proved its resilience and ability to effectively react to such changes in a timely manner through collaboration. This collaboration amongst regulators, operators, and pilot representatives must continue for Industry to successfully navigate through and out of this pandemic crisis.