Long-haul flights wreak havoc on pilots’ body clocks, flying across multiple time zones and working irregular hours. The study reveals that long-distance pilots reported the highest levels of stress and medium-distance pilots reported the lowest levels of stress.
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the COVID-19 The pandemic affected many people mentally and physically. According to a new to studystress levels among commercial airline pilots soared during the pandemic and even put their mental Health at risk.
For the study, researchers from the University of South Australia surveyed 49 commercial pilots in the Asia Pacific region, Europe and North America. They found that 75.5 percent of pilots are stressed by their uncertain future, antisocial work hours, and “values divergence” between pilots and management.
The findings should be a wake-up call to the aviation industry to install specific workplace measures to support pilots and mitigate pilot stress, the researchers noted. According to UniSA Aviation Associate Professor Dr. Silvia Pignata, pilots have traditionally been reluctant to discuss their stress levels, primarily due to concerns about medical certifications that require them to be both physically and mentally healthy.
Planes on the ground during the pandemic and continued disruption to flight schedules have added to pilot stress, with between 46% and 82% of pilots affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. “The aviation industry has neglected the issue of job stress, even before the pandemic. “Due to consumer demand for travel, airlines are scrambling to keep their fleet in the air as long as possible. Higher turnover rates mean more flight legs, higher workloads and higher levels of stress for pilots. The uncertainty surrounding the industry and the conflicts with management in the last two years added to his stress,” Pignata said.
Previous studies have highlighted the mental fatigue experienced by short-haul pilots due to flying multiple routes on a typical day, where pilots’ heart rates can reach 88 bpm during landing. Repeated takeoffs and landings can exacerbate this stress. Long-haul flights also wreak havoc on the body clocks of pilots, who fly across multiple time zones and work irregular hours. The study reveals that long-distance pilots reported the highest levels of stress and medium-distance pilots reported the lowest levels of stress.
While long-haul pilots were stressed by quarantine restrictions and forced distance from family, some short-haul pilots who were temporarily grounded due to the industry shutdown reported enjoying the time with their family. and improved their well-being. The finding was presented at the International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction held recently.
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