Rusty Qantas pilots making errors after long lay-offs
‘
Little mistakes’ are happening in the cockpit by rusty Qantas pilots back in the air after a prolonged period of inactivity. A leaked internal report highlighted pilot mistakes, such as starting take-off with the parking brake on, and mixing up the altitude with airspeed.
The memo said pilots ‘experienced a subsequent reduction in cognitive capacity ‘due to lack of ‘recency.’
"Airlines around the world are working through the complex process of returning to pre-Covid operations, including bringing back pilots who experienced extended periods on the ground," a Qantas spokesperson said.
Similar issues were experienced by pilots in the US last year when they returned to flying after a long lay-off.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Have your say Cancel reply
Subscribe/Login to Travel Mole Newsletter
Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. If you are receiving this message, simply enter your email address to sign in or register if you are not. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. ITR is free to our subscribers.

































France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt