Pilots nodding on duty: Study suggests normalization of short naps in the cockpit

When a short nap becomes routine

At Palma de Mallorca Airport you can feel it: more takeoffs, more landings, and somewhere in between people reaching their limits. A recent survey of German pilots describes exactly this. Short, controlled sleep periods — commonly referred to in the jargon as Napping — are no longer an exception but routine for many.

What the numbers say

More than 900 crew members were surveyed. The trend is clear: a large portion reported having slept during a flight in recent months. On short-haul flights that is not rare; on long-haul flights, even more so. Some crews use it regularly, others only occasionally. Very few see it as a single event.

Why this happens

The reasons seem banal yet serious: tight rosters, gaps in staffing, heat spikes in summer, and hectic transitions during delays or severe weather. Anyone who has waited at Gate B12 for the boarding call at 6:45 a.m. knows the pressure: prepare the flight, check passengers and weather — then move on to the next assignment.

A short nap in itself is not automatically dangerous. It can help reduce acute fatigue. But the survey warns that napping is becoming a permanent means for many to cope with structural overload. And that is where the problem arises: chronic stress cannot be solved with five minutes of sleep per flight.

What is being demanded

Representatives of the pilots union are therefore calling for a rethink among airlines, authorities, and policymakers. Better control of flight duty times, scientifically based fatigue risk management systems, and more realistic rosters are at the top of the list. This is not about sanctions but about safety – for crew and passengers alike.

Those on Mallorca for a vacation or picking up relatives should take the topic seriously. Delays after storms, staffing shortages, or tight hubs increase the likelihood that crews find themselves in exhaustion. This is not panic-mongering but a sober observation from aviation practice.

A local view

On-site, along Passeig Mallorca or over coffee in Son Armadams, pilots often speak openly about the intensification of work. They cite concrete cases: rosters that leave little time for rest, and routes with multiple connecting flights on the same day. Some say they use napping only in a controlled and regulatory manner. Others admit it feels like the only way to meet deadlines.

Conclusion: Short sleep in the cockpit is not inherently dangerous. It becomes problematic when it becomes part of a system that keeps people at the edge of their capacity. Mallorca, as a popular destination, is directly affected not only statistically but very practically, in the flight schedules and rosters that arrive here and depart again.