Pilots from 36 countries protested on Monday October 5, that the European Parliament and European Commission are putting at risk airline passenger lives.

In a united Day of Action pilots, joined by cabin crew, will lobby the European Parliament in Brussels and demonstrate at airports across Europe warning passengers that the EU is sitting on its hands despite having scientific evidence that the EU's pilot flight time rules are flawed.

Because pilots are banned from protesting on UK airport property the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) has written to all UK Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) asking them to stand up for UK standards. It is also asking its 9,600 members to write to the EU Transport Commissioner urging him to not give in to airline pressure.

And, in a linked move, BALPA General Secretary Jim McAuslan has written to UK Transport Secretary Lord Adonis asking him how the UK Government is going to meet its 2006 promise to maintain the UK standards which are now threatened by EU laws.

It was three years ago that the European Parliament, wishing to standardise pilot flying hours, agreed a set of flight time rules. Pilots across Europe protested that these were potentially unsafe and would result in more pilot fatigue.

'The European Parliament responded by instructing the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to send the rules to a team of safety experts working with the research body Moebus Aviation,' Jim McAuslan said.

'Only fatigue experts understand the impact on a body of flying through so many time zones, having consecutive early starts and late duties and all the other factors that make up a pilot's life.

'At the beginning of this year the scientists - some of the most noted fatigue experts in the world - presented their report which concluded that the EU rules were indeed unsafe. But to its shame EASA has ignored this, and is now putting passenger lives at risk.'

Fatigue is a big and growing problem for airline pilots. Said Jim McAuslan: 'Fatigue is a factor now in 10 to 15 per cent of all air accidents, and pressure on pilots is growing.'

Shocked by recent accidents due to fatigue the US Administration is rushing through measures to tighten, not loosen, pilot flight time rules. The EU on the other hand is going backwards.

'Standard EU fatigue rules do make sense,' Jim McAuslan continued, 'with competition between airlines now so brutal safety must be beyond question and competition should be on the basis of the product, not by working pilots beyond what is safe.'

There are to be new EU rules in 2012. These will see the end of an individual country's ability to set their own higher standards, as currently happens in the UK.

'The UK's Civil Aviation Authority, backed by the UK Government, has previously promised to stick to these standards, whatever Europe says, or change them if science says so.

'The UK has a choice. Bring the rest of Europe up to its standards or join a drive to the bottom. This is a defining moment in how passengers will be protected.'

Further information: Keith Bill on 020 8860 0433 or 07968 528 527