The concerns raised by the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) about new European Union rules on pilot fatigue must be taken seriously.

For this area, the proximity of Leeds-Bradford airport is obviously an issue and anything that could potentially increase the risk of a major air disaster must be subjected to very close scrutiny before it is accepted.

The proposed European Union rules on pilot flying times will, it is claimed, allow airline pilots to spend more time in the air.

And BALPA fears this will increase pilot fatigue and the possibility of them falling asleep while flying.

Even with the current guidance, it is disturbing to know that, according to BALPA, 43 per cent of pilots have reported falling asleep on the flight deck and 31 per cent of those have awoken to find the other pilot asleep.

The Civil Aviation Authority, however, says it would not accept an unsafe set of rules, and it claims initial concerns it raised about the proposals have now been answered.

It is certainly unusual for European rules to be less stringent than the British ones.

According to the CAA, the proposal will raise safety levels in other EU countries.

However, just because there are European countries who have a more relaxed approach to the issue of pilot hours does not mean we should simply allow the hours permitted for our pilots to fly to increase.

The concerns raised by BALPA are undoubtedly genuine, and they should be fully answered.

It is the pilots who are on the front line of these changes – and it is they who have the responsibility for the lives of passengers and those who live in flight paths on their shoulders.