The FAA is implementing new rules mandating longer rest periods for air traffic controllers, including 10 hours between shifts and 12 hours before midnight shifts, effective in 90 days, to combat fatigue.
This action follows concerns about inadequate controller rest and a recent increase in near-collision incidents, prompting the agency to also commission an independent fatigue study.
The FAA is simultaneously addressing controller shortages by meeting hiring goals and expanding training pipelines to alleviate demands on the current workforce.
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.”
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
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.
