Pilots told ‘go the extra mile and ignore fatigue’

PILOTS are receiving summer bonuses for working when tired after an airline boss encouraged them to go the “extra mile”, a whistleblower has claimed.

Jozsef Varadi, chief executive of Wizz Air, said in June that staff should try and work through fatigue.

Under current legislation from the Civil Aviation Authority, pilots are responsible for not flying if they feel fatigued. But an anonymous Wizz Air pilot told a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation: “There is a shortage of crew and to avoid cancelling flights they encourage staff to work harder.

“There is pressure for us to help out by flying on our days off. There is also a summer bonus scheme that actively encourages pilots to fly more hours.

“There’s not that culture of thinking where you can actually speak up.”

Wizz Air was approached for comment.