A third of Spanish airline pilots suffer recurrent micro-sleeps during flights, according to a major study by the European Cockpit Association into pilot fatigue.
The survey revealed that only pilots based in Malta, at 39 per cent, and Ireland, at 36 per cent, reported higher rates of involuntary in-flight sleep than Spanish commercial flight crews.
Across Europe, three out of four airline pilots admitted to experiencing at least one micro-sleep at the controls of an aircraft during the peak summer travel season. In addition, 39 per cent of European pilots stated that they did not receive sufficient rest to prevent cumulative exhaustion during that busy operating period.
The findings were published in the European Pilot Fatigue Survey 2026, an investigation commissioned by the European Cockpit Association and conducted by Baines Simmons, an aviation safety consultancy. Micro-sleeps are unintended episodes of light sleep lasting from a fraction of a second up to several seconds, which can leave a plane unmonitored during critical flight phases.
Aviation safety and pilot exhaustion
Iñigo Martin Apoita, the technical director of the Spanish Airline Pilots Union, known as Sepla, warned that unmanaged exhaustion creates direct hazards in the cockpit. Citing definitions from the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations aviation agency, he explained that fatigue is a physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability caused by sleep loss, extended wakefulness, circadian rhythm disruptions, or heavy workload.
Martin Apoita stated that this condition damages alertness and the ability of a pilot to operate an aircraft safely. He added that failing to implement an effective management and mitigation system directly increases errors and poses a serious threat to aviation safety.
Airlines provide formal reporting systems designed to let crew members log fatigue symptoms, enabling operators to adjust schedules and reduce operational hazards. However, the study revealed that fewer than four in ten European pilots who felt unfit to fly because of fatigue actually submitted a formal report to their airline.
Fear of penalties and distrust in reporting
A widespread fear of retaliation accounts for the low number of filed reports. According to the survey, 47 per cent of pilots who operated an aircraft while fatigued said they feared disciplinary sanctions or other negative consequences if they submitted a fatigue report to their carrier.
The report also demonstrated a deep lack of trust in company oversight. Across Europe, only 12 per cent of pilots said they trust the fatigue reporting system at their airline, and just 11.3 per cent believe that filing a report leads to meaningful operational changes.
Confidence levels among Spanish aviators fall well below the European average. Only 8.5 per cent of Spanish pilots said they trust their carrier's reporting framework, lagging far behind rates in the Netherlands at 32.4 per cent, Belgium at 19.4 per cent, and neighbouring Portugal at 18.6 per cent. Furthermore, only 10.2 per cent of pilots in Spain believe that fatigue reports produce any practical change to flight rosters.
Flight time limits and regulatory demands
European commercial aviation relies on Flight Time Limitations regulations, known as FTL rules, as the primary legal safeguard against pilot exhaustion. Airlines are required to combine these European Union duty caps with proactive Fatigue Risk Management systems, which track operational data to protect crew health and passenger safety.
Martin Apoita warned that airlines routinely exploit these legal limits to maximize productivity. He explained that many operators treat maximum flying limits as everyday targets rather than exceptional ceilings, leaving insufficient margins to ensure that crews reach legal maximums only occasionally. Because of this practice, the European Cockpit Association report highlighted the urgent need to review and tighten current flight time limitation rules.
The survey findings show that conditions have barely shifted since Baines Simmons conducted a similar safety study in 2023. With Spanish flight crews ranking among the most exposed to chronic fatigue in Europe, Sepla has demanded direct and immediate operational inspections by Spain's State Aviation Safety Agency, known as AESA. The union called on the safety authority to audit the robustness of airline timetables and verify the true effectiveness of fatigue risk management systems across carriers operating in Spain.
Ignacio Plaza, the secretary general of the European Cockpit Association, said the industry has spent far too long discussing fatigue without taking action. He stressed that lawmakers must now implement statutory reforms to improve working conditions for European flight crews and ensure air safety.
