Since our last edition in December 2011, a lot has happened in the aviation world. First of all, at the beginning of December, I went to Zagreb upon request from our Croatian member (CRO-ALPA) to support them in their fight against the change in the interpretation of split duty by the Croatian Government and Croatian Airlines. They organised a big demonstration in front of the building of the Croatian Civil Aviation Authority. CRO-ALPA used this opportunity to also express their concern about the upcoming legislation on pilot fatigue that is being drafted by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Although Croatia is not yet a member of the European Union, they are planning to join in 2013 and the European legislation will therefore also become law in Croatia.

CRO-ALPA showed me how a relatively small association is able to successfully mobilise their members and get the attention and support of the media and the public. At the demonstration all major television, radio and written media were present; they prepared good material, including leaflets, a press kit and a video to support their actions. Out of 140 pilot members, 97 were present at the demonstration. The remaining pilots were flying. The pilots were joined by representatives of the cabin crew union, flight engineers union and the air traffic controllers, as safety concerns all aviation professions and it is important to remain united in this battle. I was really impressed by their work and the outcome of the demonstration. This best practice shows that EVERY association can have a big impact and change things.

The second noticeable news of the end of the year was the publication (at last!) by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the new rules for Flight Times Limitations, as a Christmas present, on 21 December. Although the release of the text had been delayed several times due to strong lobbying from the airlines, the FAA chose aviation safety over commercial interests. The big hole of this legislation, however, is that it excludes all cargo operations from the new rules. This is a pity given that pilots equally suffer from fatigue and have the same safety risks, whether they transport passengers or cargo... But it is, at least, a step in the right direction and we hope that EASA will follow the lead.

Last but not least, the main event of 2012 so far was the publication of the EASA new draft rules on pilot fatigue on 18 January. As stated in our press release, EASA did make important improvements to their first proposal but they still lag behind the FAA and crucial changes need to be done to reach EU-wide rules at the highest level of safety. We therefore have to continue our battle: you can read more about this issue in this newsletter and by visiting our brand-new website: www.dead-tired.eu.

February will mark the sad anniversary of the deadly Colgan Air accident in the US, which demonstrates the safety risks associated with pilot fatigue. We hope that, in 2012, the airlines and the European Union will finally realise that our passengers deserve safer air transport and will adopt solid, science-based Flight Time Limitations rules.