Login (DCU Staff Only)
Login (DCU Staff Only)

DORAS | DCU Research Repository

Explore open access research and scholarly works from DCU

Advanced Search

Improving flight safety through controlled rest: pilot practices and perceptions

Higgins, Jonathan, Efthymiou, Marina orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-8611-5973 and Ropotos, Ioannis orcid logoORCID: 0009-0008-7777-5804 (2026) Improving flight safety through controlled rest: pilot practices and perceptions. Safety Science, 193 . ISSN 1879-1042

Abstract
The aviation industry maintains high safety standards, yet fatigue remains a persistent challenge among flight crew, with fatigue-related human error contributing to a significant proportion of accidents. This study investigates Controlled Rest (CR) as a countermeasure to fatigue in commercial aviation, assessing its acceptability and effectiveness from the perspective of pilots. Data were collected from 232 commercial pilots through a survey distributed across multiple regions and operational contexts, revealing that over 75% view CR as an effective countermeasure to fatigue. Approximately half the participants utilize CR weekly, with long-haul pilots reporting higher usage. Results indicate that CR is generally regarded as a safe, efficient tool for mitigating fatigue-related risks in flight operations, with a subset of pilots citing challenges in its implementation. Findings underscore the potential for CR to improve aviation safety and inform future fatigue management policies. Recommendations for integrating CR into Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) are discussed, providing actionable insights for regulators and operators.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Controlled rest, Fatigue, Pilots, Safety, Aviation, just culture, airlines
Subjects:Business > Personnel management
Business > Industries
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > DCU Business School
Publisher:Elsevier Ltd
Official URL:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...
Copyright Information:Authors
ID Code:32882
Deposited On:03 Jul 2026 09:45 by Tam Nguyen . Last Modified 03 Jul 2026 09:45
Documents

Full text available as:

[thumbnail of controlled rest paper.pdf] PDF - Archive staff only. This file is embargoed until 1 January 2029 - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
487kB
Metrics

Altmetric Badge

Dimensions Badge

Downloads

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Archive Staff Only: edit this record