Managing people when daylight is short, nights are long, and energy is low
In winter, safety challenges don’t just come from snow and ice, they also come from inside the crewroom.
Fewer daylight hours, long night shifts, irregular rosters and colder temperatures can all combine to sap energy and motivation. For some, the effect is subtle - a little more tiredness, a bit slower to react. For others, it’s more serious, triggering fatigue, low mood and/or even Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
When fatigue meets a safety-critical job, risks multiply fast.
🌒 Why Winter Makes Fatigue Different
Short daylight hours disrupt circadian cues, making it harder to stay alert in early morning or late afternoon.
Long night duties increase sleep debt - especially for those who struggle to rest during daylight.
Cold weather reduces physical comfort, encouraging crews to stay indoors between duties and limiting exercise.
Holiday schedules can lead to roster compression, shorter rest periods and more back-to-back shifts.
The result? Crews may meet legal duty limits but may still feel drained - mentally and/or physically.
🧠 Mental Health in the Dark Season
Mental health risks also rise in winter:
SAD can lead to low mood, lack of energy and/or difficulty in concentrating.
Prolonged fatigue can erode decision-making quality and situational awareness.
Reduced social contact (due to bad weather, long shifts and/or isolation away from home base) can increase stress.
For many, these symptoms build gradually and can go unnoticed until performance is clearly affected.
🛠 Practical Countermeasures
For rostering teams:
Limit successive early starts in winter months.
Avoid unnecessary split duties where possible.
Ensure minimum rest is not just legal but meaningful.
Consider daylight exposure opportunities for crews on multi-day trips.
For crew members:
Use light therapy lamps during morning briefings or at home to simulate daylight exposure.
Keep consistent sleep/wake patterns on days off.
Schedule brief physical activity - even short walks - to reset circadian rhythm.
Monitor personal fatigue levels honestly and report concerns early.
Winter Fatigue and Mental Health - Safety Pillars Summary
🧠 Mindset
Fatigue is not something to push through and hope you can cope with, it’s a shared safety risk that needs to be managed together by the organisation and individuals. Speak up before it becomes a hazard.
👥 People
Crew well-being is a safety investment. Rostering, training and peer support all play a role in prevention.
⚙️ Equipment
Use available tools - such as, fatigue risk management systems (FRMS), alertness testing apps and light therapy devices - to counter seasonal effects.
📋 Compliance
Follow rest requirements and FRMS protocols strictly. Avoid self-extending duties or “just pushing through” when fatigued.
⚠️ Risks
Reduced reaction time.
Poor decision-making under pressure.
Communication errors in the cockpit or on the ramp.
Increased irritability and interpersonal conflict.
📚 Learning
Several winter safety reports have shown fatigue-related errors during routine operations, including taxiway misidentification and checklist omissions. Whilst the many crews involved felt “functional”, they later admitted to being mentally drained.
Occurrence Example: Slow to Respond on Final
On a late-evening arrival after three consecutive night duties, a Safewings crew flew a stable approach but did not respond immediately to a sudden ATC instruction to go around due to a runway incursion. The delay was only a few seconds, but it was enough to require an evasive manoeuvre from another aircraft.
Post-event analysis showed:
Crew had legal rest but disrupted sleep patterns.
Both reported high fatigue levels after the event.
The reaction time of the Pilot Flying (PF) was slowed by approximately 2-3 seconds compared to simulator baseline.
Actions taken:
Revised night-duty rostering policy during winter.
Increased promotion of fatigue self-reporting without penalty.
Added mental health awareness module to annual recurrent training.
Final Word
Winter fatigue is silent, cumulative and every bit as dangerous as ice on a wing. The safest crew is the one that arrives alert, rested and mentally ready, which takes planning from not only rostering teams , but also individuals.
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