Nightmare at 37,000 Feet Exposes Airline Staffing Crisis

A surprising and scary event took place earlier this week that showed the growing gaps in the airline industry.

When it comes to common flying nightmares, fretful passengers can imagine a lot of different possibilities. Everything from a crack in the window to the plane running out of fuel may cross their minds. 

In some cases their fears are enough to keep them from flying altogether. 

With somewhere between 7,782 and 8,755 commercial planes in the air around the world at any current moment, such fears are largely irrational as more people than ever look to travel by plane after the covid outbreak.

But every once in a while, a nightmare scenario does emerge mid-flight such as earlier this week.

What Happened On That Boeing 737-800

An Ethiopian Airlines flight was traveling from Khartoum in Sudan to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on August 15, at 37,000 feet. As it approached the point to begin its descent, air traffic control workers at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport reported not being able to communicate with the pilots.

As first reported by aviation news site Aviation Herald, the plane continued flying on autopilot past the point where it was supposed to start descending. 

After the plane completely overflew the airport, the autopilot disconnected, sounding an alarm that alerted the crew, who then flew the plane back to the airport and landed it safely.  

Later investigation revealed that the two pilots aboard the flight fell asleep in the cockpit. 

Social media had a field day with jokes and memes and one commenter on the original article wrote that “sleeping on the job [was] taken to new heights!”

Many criticized the airline for allowing such a situation to happen and “the level of incompetence.”

The Airline Worker Shortage Is No Joke

But despite the sitcom-worthy situation, many pointed out that it reflects ongoing problems in the industry. 

As the world emerged from the chaos caused by covid, demand for travel surged. Many airlines could not rehire the staff they laid off in 2020 and 2021 fast enough.

Even before the pandemic, pilots in particular had been in short supply due to the disproportionate cost of training (a $10,000 fee and 1,500 hours of paid flying practice) necessary to get licensed. One study estimates that North American airlines will be short 12,000 pilots by the end of 2023. 

Even the U.S. Airforce currently has 1,500 pilots fewer than it wants to hire, while the mandatory retirement age of 65 also shortens the careers of those who are licensed.

“Pilot fatigue is nothing new, and continues to pose one of the most significant threats to air safety — internationally,” aviation analyst Alex Macheras wrote on Twitter  (TWTR) – Get Twitter Inc. Report.

The post-pandemic spike in travel has been causing massive staffing shortages and straining the airport employees who are working in everything from baggage handling to flying. 

Back in July, Delta  (DAL) – Get Delta Air Lines Inc. Report flew an Airbus A330-200 from London to Detroit with no passengers but over 1,000 pieces of luggage that were stranded due to not having enough baggage handlers at different airports across Europe.

In July, pilots’ union Balpa also issued a statement claiming that budget airline Jet2 “refuses to recognize increasing concern from its pilots about fatigue and stress caused by roster disruption.”