ALPA welcomes long-awaited FAA action on pilot fatigue
10-Sep-2010 Capt. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), released the following statement concerning the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) announcement of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on airline pilots’ flight- and duty-time limits and minimum rest requirements.
"We are pleased that the FAA has released a regulatory proposal on this extremely important safety issue. ALPA's experts look forward to reviewing it, with the hope that it reflects our union's long-standing commitment to ensuring that pilots are adequately rested to perform their jobs safely. This proposal follows action last month by President Obama and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to mandate the release of a final rule by August 1, 2011.
"ALPA has long pursued modern, science-based flight- and duty-time limits and minimum rest regulations that would apply to all airline pilots, regardless of the size of the equipment they fly or whether they carry cargo or passengers. In 2007, ALPA created a Blue Ribbon Panel on Pilot Fatigue to review the science and recommend an action plan for the union. Two years later, ALPA adopted a landmark pilot fatigue policy that reflects the latest science.
"For years, ALPA has pressed our industry to take on pilot fatigue in both the United States and Canada, and we have been fully engaged with efforts in both countries to make science-based regulations a reality.
"ALPA participated in the FAA's Flight/Duty Time Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). The ARC submitted its recommendations to the FAA in September 2009, meeting its deadline as a result of cooperation among government and industry partners working toward the common goal of an updated set of regulations.
"Our union's Flight Time/Duty Time Committee includes pilot safety experts who represent the range of Part 121 flying, including regional, domestic, international, and cargo operations. Guided by ALPA's current policy, the union's Flight Time/Duty Time Committee will carefully review this proposal and provide any feedback that may be necessary to ensure the highest safety standards for our nation's air transportation system."
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world's largest pilots union, representing nearly 53,000 pilots at 38 airlines in the United States and Canada.