Do pilots really nap during flights? The numbers say yes, depending on where you are

A new survey by Vereinigung Cockpit, Germany’s main pilots’ union, found that 93% of more than 900 airline pilots said they had napped in the cockpit during the past few months. For nearly three-quarters, it is now a standard part of their routine. The breakdown is stark: 12% said they nap on every flight, 44% do so regularly, 33% occasionally, and only 3% said it happened just once.

Union vice president Katharina Dieseldorff warned that the practice is no longer a rare emergency measure. “What was originally intended as a short-term recovery measure has developed into a permanent remedy for structural overload,” she said. Pilots cited packed schedules, staff shortages and operational pressure as key drivers of fatigue.

Concerns over safety and industry culture

The union’s findings covered pilots from nearly every German carrier, with the largest group from Lufthansa (481 respondents), followed by Lufthansa Cargo (101), Eurowings (73) and Condor (71). The group cautioned that while controlled rest during cruise phases is not inherently unsafe, “a permanently exhausted cockpit crew represents a significant risk.”

Vereinigung Cockpit is now urging airlines, regulators and politicians to treat fatigue as a serious safety factor, enforce flight-time limits more effectively and implement fatigue risk management systems based on science rather than economics.

U.S. pilots face stricter sleep rules

For American passengers, though, there’s little chance of finding their captain asleep at the controls. The Federal Aviation Administration explicitly prohibits sleeping on duty. Instead, U.S. pilots must comply with minimum rest periods between flights, which is why cancellations sometimes occur when crews “time out.”

Fatigue remains a global aviation safety risk

Even so, fatigue remains a concern in U.S. cockpits. Both the FAA and the Air Line Pilots Association recognize it as a persistent safety issue. Quay Snyder, ALPA’s aeromedical adviser, compared the effects to intoxication at a recent forum: “Fatigue is a flight safety issue, and that’s why all these rules are in place”.

So yes, in parts of the world, pilots really do nap mid-flight. And while the practice may sound alarming, it reflects an industry where human endurance is stretched thin – and regulators are still trying to balance safety with demand.

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