Irish pilots retrain to shake off any 'rustiness' ahead of July reopening 

Aer Lingus captain Simon Croghan, vice-president with the Irish Airline Pilots Association, said there are a whole section of pilots that are not currently flying. When they ramp up, there is a plan to grade their performance before they resume duty. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Irish pilots are undergoing rigorous training ahead of the European aviation sector reopening in a bid to shake off any potential rustiness from being sidelined during the pandemic.

In the US, pilots have reported to NASA's aviation reporting system that they found themselves making errors upon retaking to the skies, such as forgetting to turn on de-icing systems, descending to incorrect altitudes, taxiing into oncoming traffic on the runway, and even overshooting the runway upon landing.