Brussels, 08/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Transport Security Council (ETSC) has published its views on the changes to the flight time limitation rule (FTL) suggested by the European Air Safety Agency (EASA), which is currently being negotiated using the comitology process. The ETSC has come down strongly on the side of pilots who complain that the extra fatigue caused by the suggested measures will compromise safety in the air. The ETSC highlights that the division of each day into hours, half hours and quarter hours is over-complicated without necessarily considering how pilot fatigue is to be managed and has come up with a simpler table. The ETSC also wants better quality rest by improving the facilities in aeroplanes and airports where pilots can rest. It is unhappy that the EASA is not providing stronger backing for application of systems for managing pilot fatigue risks and ignored scientific opinion about the dangers of fatigue in the initial stages of drafting changes to the rules. The ETSC wants the Commission, member states and the European Parliament to take notice of its recommendations before approving the revised rules. (MD/transl.fl)