EU flying hours could put passengers "at risk" MPs told

This change would spare airlines the expense of having to pay for a third pilot on the flight deck for long haul flights to destinations such as Los Angeles.

The Easa proposals would also increase the workload on short-haul pilots who perform several take-offs and landings a day.

Proposed changes would only see the daily flight time reduced after the third take off of the day which, pilots say, flies in the face of scientific evidence of the dangers of fatigue brought on by performing the manoeuvres several times a day.

According to Balpa the proposed changes would be illegal in the United States. “Twenty-two hours of wakefulness is far from the only part of the proposals which give us serious concern,” said Jim McAuslan, the union’s general secretary.

“Compared to the UK’s domestic rules, the EU proposals would see pilots being able to fly further – as far as California – with no backup crew and, contrary to scientific advice, allow pilots to do up to seven early starts in a row, which is desperately fatiguing.”

However the Civil Aviation Authority backed the proposed changes. “Overall we now think the current proposal, together with other regulations, such as the European Work Time Directive, and our continuous oversight of airlines, provides a package that will work for Europe,” a spokesman said.

“It will raise safety levels across many countries whose airlines UK citizens use which currently have lower levels of regulation on pilot hours and, as part of the overall UK safety regulation regime, maintains an equivalent level of safety to that which we currently have in the UK.”