An American Airlines Airbus A319 aircraft takes off past the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on January 11, 2023
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday the agency will increase the required rest time for air traffic controllers in response to concerns about fatigue due to a staffing shortage.
The changes, which would take effect within 90 days, require air traffic controllers to have at least 10 hours of rest between shifts (up from nine hours) and 12 hours of rest before a night shift.
“In my first few months at the helm of the FAA, I toured air traffic control facilities across the country – and heard concerns about flight schedules that do not always give air traffic controllers enough rest,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. “Because the safety of our air traffic controllers and national airspace is always the FAA’s top priority, I have taken this very seriously – and we are taking action.”
The changes come as pressure grows on the FAA to improve air travel safety amid a spate of shortages at airports as well as mechanical problems at some airlines and production problems Boeing.
A shortage of air traffic controllers, exacerbated by a hiring pause during the Covid-19 pandemic, has led to forced overtime and busy schedules for staff at some facilities. The agency hired 1,500 controllers last year and plans to hire 1,800 this year. Air traffic controllers in the United States must retire at age 56.
The announcement came alongside an FAA-commissioned report on air traffic controller fatigue that recommended the new rest requirements.
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2024-04-19 16:37:14
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