Washington — The Federal Aviation Administration has finalized a policy requiring air traffic controllers to have no less than 10 hours of off-duty time between shifts.
Announced in April by FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker and initially set to enter impact in July, the policy additionally mandates ATCs who work midnight shifts to take 12 hours off.
The efficient date was rolled again in May, nonetheless, amid company discord with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. FAA and NATCA introduced July 24 that the perimeters had reached settlement and adjustments might be applied as schedules are negotiated for subsequent yr.
NATCA beforehand issued a assertion saying it welcomed the policy adjustments however was disillusioned that FAA didn’t collaborate with the labor union when forming them. NATCA additional claimed that FAA hadn’t adequately addressed how an ATC employee scarcity may affect fatigue.
FAA mentioned the policy resulted from a current agency-commissioned report during which a panel of fatigue consultants famous that sleep loss and prolonged wakefulness can set off disruptions to ATCs’ circadian rhythms, resulting in adversarial results on security.
“The science is clear that controller fatigue is a public safety issue, and it must be addressed,” Whitaker mentioned in a press launch. “Today, after collaborating with NATCA, we are pleased to announce important progress for the flying public on the issue of fatigue. This is the beginning of our work, not the end. We will continue to collaborate and take steps to prioritize controllers’ health and well-being on behalf of the public.”
FAA says it’s on monitor to fulfill its objective of hiring 1,800 new ATCs this yr.
