Labour Affairs
Supporting strong collective representation for airline pilots
Labour Affairs is IFALPA’s area of work dedicated to supporting Member Associations in their role as collective representatives of airline pilots.
Across the world, pilots’ associations negotiate and defend collective labour agreements that establish essential working conditions, including pay, scheduling, rest, career progression, benefits, job security, and dispute resolution. These agreements are central to protecting the professional standards of airline pilots and ensuring that pilots have a meaningful voice in their workplace.
IFALPA’s Labour Affairs work helps Member Associations strengthen their industrial capacity. This includes supporting negotiation preparation, sharing experience between associations, identifying emerging labour trends, and encouraging strategic coordination where pilots face common challenges.
The objective is clear: to help pilots’ associations build the knowledge, confidence, and collective strength needed to represent their members effectively.
Collective Bargaining
Industrial Strategy
Mutual Assistance
Alliance Collaboration
Safeguarding Collective Bargaining Rights
Collective bargaining remains one of the most important tools available to airline pilots. Through Collective Labour Agreements (CLAs), pilots and airlines agree on key working conditions such as pay, scheduling, fatigue management, training, career progression, and workplace protections. Strong CLAs help ensure fair treatment, professional stability, and safe operations.
Today, bargaining has become more complex. Airlines often operate across multiple jurisdictions, use different subsidiaries, and employ pilots under a variety of arrangements. As a result, pilots’ associations need strong organization, reliable data, negotiation expertise, and cross-border coordination.
IFALPA’s Labour Affairs work helps Member Associations meet these challenges by promoting solidarity, sharing expertise, and strengthening collective bargaining capacity worldwide.
Latest Publications
Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement of Women Pilots
Despite decades of progress, women make up only about 5% of airline pilots worldwide. The aviation industry must actively recruit
Two Pilots, One Priority: Elevating Flight Safety
For more information on this subject, please visit www.safetystartswith2.com
The Dangers of Reduced Crew Operations
There are numerous risks associated with reduced-crew and single-pilot operations. Most prominently, these risks stem from the increased workload for
Remote Pilots
This Briefing Leaflet addresses the Federation’s initial thoughts on the growing industrial and representational demands of pilots in one of