The FAA is implementing new mandatory rest periods for air traffic controllers, requiring 10 hours between shifts and 12 hours off before a midnight shift, effective in 90 days, to combat fatigue.
This initiative addresses concerns about insufficient rest among controllers, observed by FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, and follows a period with numerous near-miss incidents, including a recent close call at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The agency is also actively working to alleviate staffing shortages by increasing hiring goals (1,800 controllers this year) and expanding training, alongside commissioning a scientific study on controller fatigue risks.
The FAA is taking action to reduce air traffic controller fatigue by mandating longer rest periods between shifts, agency administrator Michael Whitaker said Friday.
Whitaker noted that in his first few months at the helm of the FAA he toured ATC facilities around the country and heard “concerns about schedules that do not always allow controllers to get enough rest.”
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
