BeCA launches discussions with stakeholders

On 24 March 2015, Andreas Lubitz, copilot on the flight GW 9525 from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, deliberately crashed an A320 into the French Alps. This event was a tough reminder to the public that pilots are normal human beings, who can also suffer from mental health issues or addiction problems. Since then, a lot of discussions have been going on at European level, within rulemaking bodies but also pilots’ associations, around the implementation of so-called “Pilot Support Programs” (PSP).

On 9 December 2016, EASA – the European rulemaking body for civil aviation – published an opinion* to the European Commission on pilot mental fitness, recommending, among others, to make it compulsory for pilots to have access to a support program. (*An opinion is not yet a legislative text. It is transmitted to the European Commission, who will examine it and will make a legislative proposal in the course of 2017.)

But, what is a PSP? How does it work? Where do we stand in Belgium?

PSP, what and why?

A pilot support programme is an independent system implemented at company or national level where pilots can seek help from their peers when they face mental health problems (psychological problems, burnout, alcohol or drug addiction, etc.).

The aim is twofold: ensuring that only fit-to-fly pilots operate, whilst creating a ‘safe harbour zone’ to protect the career of the pilot asking for assistance. It is based on the principle of “peer support”, as most of us are more inclined to talk to our colleagues than to a medical professional or chief pilot. The system assures a close and personalised follow-up of persons in need of treatment.

PSPs have been in place in several countries, e.g. USA, Canada and Germany, and have proven to be very valuable, with success rates averaging 88-90%. They also prove to be very cost-effective for the operator, compared to ‘fire-and-hire’ policies.

What are the success factors?

Mutual trust and just culture are the sine qua non conditions for a successful implementation of a PSP. There needs to be a shared understanding of its objectives by all stakeholders (pilots, aeromedical examiners, airlines, authorities). The operators must guarantee a fair treatment of pilots seeking help: they should give pilots enough confidence that they can report their problems without fearing to lose their licence/job.

The pilots, in turn, must be willing to share their issues with their peers and take the necessary measures to recover from their condition. For this, it is necessary to de-stigmatise mental health issues: it can occur to anybody.

The structure must be autonomous and independent and peers must receive proper training on how to deal with these issues. All relevant stakeholders – including pilots’ associations, unions, NAAs & AMEs – must be involved and must fully support it.

Where do we stand in Belgium?

BeCA strongly believes in the benefits of such a system over random testing. It follows a long-term approach and helps create a trust and just culture environment.
Thats is why, on 18 October 2016, BeCA organised a workshop, inviting the BCAA, AMEs and external experts. The aim was to share knowledge and information about what already exists elsewhere and consider the feasibility of implementing one in Belgium.

Let’s face it: implementing such a system is a real challenge and even more in a small country like ours. Why?

• Lack of resources, both financial and human: properly trained volunteers are needed and they must be easily reachable. The aim of having one PSP per operator in Belgium is not realistic.
• Loss of licence insurances: a lot of insurers have implemented restrictions and conditions in case of mental health issues. This needs to be addressed as pilots are unlikely to report their problems if they risk losing their licence with no financial compensation.
• Atypical contracts: what about pilots who are not directly employed by their company? How can we guarantee that they have the necessary access to such a program and the resulting protection?
• Mentality challenge: we, pilots, must change our vision of mental health diseases and accept that we might face one and that we need to talk about it.
• Confidentiality vs. safety: how can we ensure that no pilot who is unfit to fly is operating, whilst guaranteeing they will not be sanctioned?
• Involvement of BeCA and unions: if we want to make sure that it is properly designed and implemented, pilots must be represented in such a structure.

These are some of the challenges that BeCA, together with the relevant stakeholders, have been analysing for the last year. There is a long way in front of us, but we are confident that, step by step, we will be able to implement it in Belgium. If you want to take part in this challenging, yet exciting endeavour, please do not hesitate to contact us!