Statement on Pilot Fatigue Management

 16 February 2022

Qatar Airways is extremely concerned with inaccurate statements that have appeared in the press relating to pilot fatigue and the airline’s approach to it.

Qatar Airways’ number one priority is the safety, health and wellbeing of its passengers and crew.

Fatigue reports are always treated extremely seriously by the airline, and any pilot who reports experiencing fatigue is automatically removed from a flight and given a 24-hour rest period as a minimum. Qatar Airways has never refused to grant a pilot rest if they experience fatigue. We welcome fatigue reports from pilots because this ensures the continued wellbeing of our workforce and the safety of our passengers. No pilot has been adversely impacted professionally for submitting a fatigue report. Additionally, contrary to what is stated in the article, all time spent in the flight deck as the third crew member is counted towards the flight time limits.

Qatar Airways is committed to ensuring that there are ongoing and rigorous risk management systems in place, and we are continually seeking to ensure that the health and safety systems are maintained to the highest of standards so that our staff benefit from any necessary support.

The published article claims that during the pandemic, when the airline ramped up operations, “to manage those new flights with smaller crews, the airline was under-counting work hours to maximise operated flights”. The airline strongly refutes this claim and asserts that the Flight Time limitation scheme has been approved by the civil aviation authority well before the pandemic started and there has been no change to the flight time limits the pilots can fly or the methods of calculating the same flight times at any time during the pandemic. Safety remains our number one priority.

We continue to engage and listen to the feedback and recommendations received from our flight crew to ensure their continued wellbeing. In responding to the specific allegations, Qatar Airways can confirm the following:

a.    Fatigue reports are treated very seriously by the Company. 

b.    Any pilot who reports experiencing fatigue is automatically removed from a flight and given a 24-hour rest period as a minimum.

c.    The Company has never refused to grant a pilot a rest period if they experience fatigue.

d.    Contrary to what has been stated, we welcome fatigue reports from pilots. We are acutely aware that cultivating an environment where employees feel able to raise important issues serves to ensure the continued wellbeing of our workforce, and the safety of our passengers.

e.    No pilot has been adversely impacted professionally following submitting a fatigue report.

f.     As a result of feedback and recommendations received from our flight crew, the Company has considerably reduced layovers or Ultra Long-Haul turnaround flights in certain countries that have ongoing Covid-19 restrictions to ensure the crew’s continued wellbeing.

g.    All time spent in the flight deck as the third crew member counts towards the flight time limits.

h.    The Flight Time limitation scheme has been approved by the civil aviation authority well before the pandemic started and there has been no change to the flight time limits the pilots can fly at any time during the pandemic. 

i.      The Company is subject to the IATA Operational Safety Audit (“IOSA”) every two years. Since the IOSA programme began in 2003, the Company has consistently achieved 100 per cent compliance each year. The audit includes a consideration of the recording of flight hours in accordance with the approved Flight Time limitations scheme. The last audit took place in 2021 which once again resulted in a 100 per cent compliance certification.

We are committed to ensuring our employees’ wellbeing and note that many former employees are returning to rejoin Qatar Airways in the coming months, including several hundred former Qatar Airways’ pilots. The airline has an excellent safety record with a professional flight crew community who deliver the highest professional standards.