The Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on many people mentally and physically. According to a new study, the stress levels among commercial airline pilots skyrocketed during the pandemic and even put their mental health at risk.

For the study, researchers from the University of South Australia conducted a survey from 49 commercial pilots in the Asia Pacific region, Europe and North America. They found that 75.5 per cent of pilots are stressed about their uncertain futures, anti-social working hours and the "divergence in values" between pilots and management.

The findings should be a wake-up call to the aviation industry to install targeted workplace measures to support pilots and mitigate pilot stress, the researchers noted. According to UniSA Senior Lecturer in Aviation Dr Silvia Pignata, pilots have traditionally been reluctant to talk about their stress levels, mainly due to concerns about medical certifications that require them to be both physically and mentally healthy.