The British Airline Pilot's Association (BALPA) has welcomed Government opposition to new EU proposals for extending pilots' flying hours.
The Department for Transport said it would instead propose all EU countries adopt the CAA's guidelines in light of a move by the European Parliament to extend the number of hours a pilot can be asked to fly in a single day.
Opposing the EU scheme, BALPA called on the help of transport minister John Spellar.
Mr Spellar has agreed with BALPA that some of the EU proposals are backwards steps, and has promised to put the CAA's guidelines forward as an alternative.
The CAA currently recommends pilots only fly for 12 hours a day; this would become 14 hours if the EU proposal was adopted. However, it would have no effect on the total number of hours a pilot can fly each year.
BALPA has already written to every local authority in airport areas asking them to join the opposition to the EU proposals.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said the Government's position was to ensure safety standards were maintained, and it would look to propose the EU adopted CAA guidelines on pilot flying hours for all European countries.
A BALPA spokesman said: "If the British Government does take this course of action, and John Spellar does call for CAA guidelines to become regulation Europe-wide, this will be tremendous.
"We have been calling on him to do that for a number of years."
A spokeswoman for Stansted-based easyJet said its pilots already flew less than the recommended hours each day.
Published Tuesday, June 17, 2003
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