Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Proposal Suggests Mental Health Exams for European Pilots

cockpitWhen it comes to airline safety, there’s a lot of good news to report.

For nearly 15 years, we’ve enjoyed some remarkable safety statistics.

In 2015, there were only 8 accidental crashes, accounting for just 161 deaths.

That marks the fewest crashes and deaths since 1946.

Sadly, there were more airline deaths worldwide caused by deliberate acts for the second year in a row.

As a result, a new set of medical and psychological checks for pilots has been proposed by Europe’s top air safety body.

This all stems from the crash last year of Germanwings Flight 9525 at the hands of a suicidal co-pilot.

Under the new proposal, pilots will undergo more thorough initial and recurring medical checks focusing on mental health.

That also includes random drug and alcohol tests—something U.S. pilots already have.

These are still just proposals, but health and safety officials are hoping that effective legislation requiring these medical checks happens in the next six months.

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