Pilots Welcome New Airbus But Warn On Safety Issues

Air Safety Week, May 16, 2005

From a press release by the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) regarding the new Airbus A380:

"First, we're worried about pilots being alert enough to fly 20 or more hours," said Capt. Mervyn Granshaw, chairman of BALPA. "Flights will have to be planned in alignment with a pilot's body clock and sufficient rest, to enable them to undertake such long flights whilst still being able to carry out routine complex tasks as well as coping with emergencies."

The second concern is the configuration of airfields. At Heathrow, Granshaw said much money has been spent remodeling taxiways and gates. "But we have heard that some airports are going to ask for exemptions and will try to get by without making all the changes necessary. We will not allow these new aircraft to be brought into service on this kind of a wing and a prayer."

He wants assurances from EASA that safety remains paramount. "To ensure that this happens, it is important that the EU [European Union] deems the Agency to be legally accountable should any accident occur. In the UK our Civil Aviation Authority has long accepted the same accountability, and we want the European body to be held to account in the same way."

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