Airline pilots must be given final say on flying in war zones, aviators' group says

By Allison Lampert

MONTREAL, April 7 (Reuters) - Pilots must be given a "final and non-negotiable" say allowing them to refuse to fly over or within conflict zones without influence from commercial pressures, global union group International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) said.

The position paper on Monday from IFALPA comes as the six-week-long Iran war is reshaping airspace across the Middle East and increasing disruptions to flights due to drone and missile attacks and interceptions, heightening safety risks for airline crew members and their passengers.

Montreal-based IFALPA said airlines should recognize how conflict zone operations can create mental and emotional strain in the cockpit.

"The Commander’s decision regarding the conduct or rerouting of a flight, including refusal to overfly a conflict zone, must be final and non-negotiable," the paper said. "Additionally, this decision must not be influenced by financial or other incentives, career repercussions or other penalties, or commercial pressures."

While many carriers have canceled services to affected destinations, Dubai-based Emirates is now operating at about 69% of its normal capacity and Qatar Airways at 26%, according to Flightradar24 data. That equates to hundreds of flights per day in airspace that has been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.

The United Arab Emirates has instituted "safe corridors" with specific flight paths, but planes still regularly enter holding patterns during attacks and in some cases have been turned back or diverted to other destinations when airspace was closed temporarily.

Qatar Airways said "the safety of our passengers and crew remains paramount" and all flights to and from Doha were being operated through dedicated flight corridors established in close coordination with the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.

Emirates, which has also said it prioritizes safety, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The IFALPA paper said airlines needed to provide pilots operating in conflict zones with mitigation measures like post-flight recuperation time and confidential support.

"If rerouting, delay, holding, elevated workload, diversion complexity, or sector uncertainty are recurrent and foreseeable, they should be incorporated into scheduling assumptions, fatigue controls, and roster buffers with additional safety margins such as augmented crew rostering, rather than repeatedly managed as an ad hoc exception," it said.

Separately on Monday, the United Nations aviation agency said its governing council condemned Iran for unlawful airspace violations against Gulf neighbors like the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia affecting civil aviation safety.

"The council deplored Iran’s illegal use of unmanned aircraft systems for military purposes against civilian infrastructure over the territories of the affected member states," the International Civil Aviation Organization said in a statement.

The council's decision follows a paper submitted by multiple Arab states over Iran's use of weaponized drones against its neighbors, a source familiar with the matter said.

Iran has submitted a separate paper regarding its territory that is to be heard during a future council session, although the source was not familiar with specific details.