Emirates Airlines yesterday strongly refuted press reports published in Australia regarding the airline’s management of fatigue risk.
The report in Australian newspaper, Herald Sun, held Emirates management responsible for pilot fatigue. The Australian daily said in the report that it had “obtained documents that lift the lid on the true extent of this critical safety issue”.
In a statement, Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice-President, Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: “Emirates is surprised that objective data provided by it was not included, and one-sided articles were published based on statements from anonymous people.”
Emirates reiterates its absolute commitment to safety, he added.
The news follows an incident in March where an Emirates flight nearly crashed at Melbourne Airport with 225 passengers on board. “Emirates is a world leader in the management of pilot fatigue and alertness.”