Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has met with the British Airline pilots Association (BALPA) at Westminster. The pilots were there to lobby MPs and Peers against new proposals on flight time limitations being promoted by EASA (European aviation safety agency) to replace existing regulations operated by the CAA (civil aviation authority).
Following the meeting Lord Empey said:
‘These changes could mean that pilots could be landing aircraft after 22hours out of their beds. There is great concern at these new proposals which could see flights from the UK to Los Angeles (west coast of USA) with only two pilots on board for an 11.5 hour flight.’
Lord Empey who has written to Ministers and lobbied against these changes said 'the absolute top priority must be safety of the travelling public. I am not convinced that these changes are consistent with our excellent record of safety in the UK and they should be resisted.'
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