Airline staff are often worried about the professional fallout if they voice mental health concerns. — via healthing_ca
Now these workers — many of whom have been out of work for an extended period of time — are less prepared for the high-stress demands of the job. “Once back at work, those workplace hazards that were an issue pre-COVID will come back,” Cullen said. “But individuals’ resilience won’t be as strong as before and this could potentially impact on flight safety.”
The airline industry has been on high alert since pilot Andreas Lubitz concealed “symptoms suggesting a psychotic depressive episode” from Lufthansa before locking his co-pilot out of the cabin and intentionally crashing the plane in 2015,. The tragedy prompted the European Commission to require airlines to offer increased mental health support to pilots. But the industry does not collect data on employee wellbeing and many pilots are afraid to request assistance for fear of repercussions.
Transport Canada did not change the way it screens pilots in response to the deliberate crash, despite being told the system it uses is flawed,. “Flawed in that there’s a crack in the armour,” said John McKenna, the president of the Air Transport Association of Canada, a group representing dozens of Canadian airlines.
“We’ve spoken about our concerns, about the lack of communication, to the highest levels of the department, from the minister down to the deputy minister to the directors, and constantly said there’s an issue here that needs to be addressed.” The Aeronautics Act makes it mandatory for doctors to inform Transport Canada of any pilots or other flight crew they feel might be a risk to the safe operation of a plane but doctor-patient confidentiality prevents every incident from being reported, according to McKenna. “The system relies on the pilot voluntarily informing his or her employer of the situation,” he said. “If it is a question of mental stability, they may not do it.
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