Where to next?

None of us thought it would be simple, nor fast, to improve upon the fatigue risk situation for aviation crew when work gained momentum about a decade ago. But few of us anticipated that so much potential would to this day remain to be addressed.

Sure, some updates to regulatory rules have been accomplished in this time frame, yet many crew are experiencing worse working conditions than ever before. The improvements, although clearly present in some operations, are far from evident when looking at the bigger picture across the industry. In fact, we have not even arrived at common metrics for quantifying and comparing the overall fatigue risk between operators. Not a single one. For many, crew scheduling principles remain unchanged.

So what would be the possible next steps be in terms of improvements? Welcome to read our input on how to raise the bar for fatigue risk management in this thought-provoking piece, published earlier in a shorter version in the Royal Aeronautical Society journal. You are also welcome to post your comments back to the author. Enjoy.