SriLankan flight and cabin crew suffering from fatigue; concern over flight safety

A considerable percentage of SriLankan airlines’ flight and cabin crew members seem to be suffering silently from the cumulative effects of residual fatigue which influence badly on their medical fitness in the long term, Civil Aviation Director H.M.C. Nimalasiri has warned.

The warning has gone out in a note he sent to the SriLankan management’s top brass. Mr. Wimalasiri, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, on Thursday said, “This matter was echoed in the discussion that the Pilots Guild members had with this office today in the presence of Board of Civil Aviation Medical Examiners (CAME). It is observed that the airline staff making the rosters have not undergone proper training in regard to Human Factors, factors contributing to onset of fatigue in crewmembers and measures of their mitigation.”

Here are significant highlights of the letter which raises issues over passenger safety in the light of fatigue by pilots and crew.

“Recent communications of representatives of Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka and Flight Attendants Union of SriLankan Airlines with this office indicate that although prescriptive requirements stipulated by this office in the respective Implementing Standards in regard to Flight Time, Duty Time and Rest Periods are respected in the preparation of duty rosters of crewmembers, the underlying human factors which have direct impact on onset of fatigue in crewmembers are not given due consideration. …….

“In the premises aforementioned, you are kindly requested to take early steps to get SriLankan Airline’s doctor (is also serving the CAASL as CAME of the CAASL) to approve each and every duty roster of both flight crew and cabin crew members, having examined the rosters from the view point of Aviation Medicine, prior to their implementation as a measure of remedy of the above deficiency. This practice shall continue until the rostering staff are given proper training acceptable to this office in regard to the subject matter.”