Reports of toxic fumes in aircraft cabins are inevitably a worry, so it's reassuring to hear pilots' union Balpa insist its members remain happy to fly the BAe 146 in spite of stories of crew suffering headaches and collapsing.
Balpa compiled a dossier of 770 reports of cabin-fume incidents over 20 years and the Committee on Toxicity that examined the evidence concluded it "supported further investigatiom of neuro-psychological impairment in commercial pilots".
A separate study by a neuro-psychologist at University College London found pilots from airlines including BA had suffered memory lapses, fatigue and dizziness. Of course, none of these need be attributable to toxic fumes, but the CAA concedes "there are incidents where fumes enter cabins".
Flybe has been unlucky that media attention has settled on its fleet of BAe 146s, since it inherited the aircraft from BA and planned to phase them out by February. But the response of the Department for Transport could be more helpful.
When I spoke to the DfT, it could not specify the date when the further study would begin, let alone when it might be published. In the meantime, the department's atttude appears to be in sharp contrast to Government policy on airport security, which is to shoot first - sorry - prohibit passengers from carrying a second cabin bag until further notice.
Obviously, a risk of being blown out of the air must be taken seriously. But if there is the smallest risk of flight crew being overcome by fumes, isn't that worth taking seriously too?