Grounded planes during the pandemic and the ongoing disruption to flight schedules have added to pilots' stress, with between 46-82 per cent of pilots impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. "The issue of work stress has been neglected by the aviation industry, even before the pandemic. "Due to consumer demand for travel, airlines strive to keep their fleet in the air for as long as possible. Higher turnover rates mean more flight legs, increased workloads and higher stress levels for pilots. The uncertainty around the industry and conflicts with management over the past two years has just added to their stress," Pignata said.

Prior studies have highlighted that the mental fatigue that short haul pilots experience due to flying multiple routes in a typical day, where pilots' heart rates can reach 88bpm during landing. Repeated take-offs and landings may exacerbate this stress. Long-haul flights also play havoc with pilots' body clocks, flying across multiple time zones and working irregular hours. The study reveals that long haul pilots reported the highest levels of stress and medium haul pilots reported the lowest stress levels.

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While long haul pilots were stressed by quarantine restrictions and enforced distance from family, some short haul pilots who were temporarily grounded due to the industry shutdown, reported that they enjoyed time with their family, improving their wellbeing. The finding was presented at the recently held International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction.

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