PREVIOUS PROJECTS

The relationships between, and the effects of,  deregulation and terms of employment on commercial airline pilots' working conditions, stress-related health and flight safety

Have the deregulation and new working conditions affected the health of Swedish pilots? This was one of the question we wanted to investigate in this project, and also what the implication has been for flight safety. 

Since the end of the 1990s the air transport market has undergone comprehensive deregulation and change, and is today greatly competition-driven. As a result, airlines have developed business models with new employment forms and new ways of organizing their operations. For commercial pilots this has meant changed, and often worsened, employment and working conditions. In this deregulation and the new business models, authorities both in Sweden and internationally see potential safety risks that can result in worsened flight safety. 

This project had the aim of examining the consequences of the deregulation and market adjustment that has occurred within the airline sector, with a focus on how this is connected to Swedish commercial airline pilots’ working conditions, health, and flight safety. Firstly, the project was concerned with how the liberalization and rationalization that have been implemented affect pilot employment and working contitions. Secondly we aimed to identify which working conditions that constitute high risk for stress, poor health and sick leave, and thirdly what consequences these factors have on flight safety. 

Publications from the project 

Report: High-flying Risks. Variations in working conditions, health, and safety behaviors among commercial airline pilots in relation to safety climate. Melin, Lager & Lindfors (2018).

Article: Fit for Flight? Inappropriate Presenteeism among Swedish Commercial Airline Pilots and its Threats to Flight Safety. Johansson & Melin (2018). 

Article: Proactive Flight Safety – a Feasibility Study on Considerations for Optimal Use of Flight Data Monitoring and Incident Reports in an Airline. Lager & Melin (2020).