Brussels - Airline pilots demonstrated in Brussels and in several European cities on Monday against potentially dangerous long working hours.

The protests were organized by the Brussels-based European Cockpit Association (ECA). It was not clear if any pilots had skipped work shifts to take part in the rallies.

The pilots contend that lives may be at risk because of fatigue on the flight deck and claim that current European Union rules on how long they may spend flying are dangerous. The European Aviation Safety Agency is studying the issue.

An ECA leaflet distributed in Brussels says EU rules allow air crew to fly for up to 15 hours in a row.

However, "science says that over 13 hours, the risk of accidents is 5.5 (times) higher," the leaflet said.

Pilots cited a recent air crash in Buffalo, United States, where fatigue was in part blamed for the death of 50 people.

US regulators have already taken action to change the country's rules on working hours, but the EU is "still stuck in preliminary discussions on possible options that could be envisage," the ECA leaflet said.

The German pilots' union said its members would gather in the concourse of Frankfurt Airport's Terminal 1. It said ECA was expecting hundreds of pilots in various nations to attend similar events. (dpa)