FAA plans to extend air traffic controllers' rest periods
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to extend air controller rest periods in response to concerns about controller fatigue and a number of recent dangerous close incidents involving commercial airliners.
On April 19, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said that the current controller rest regulations will be modified to require controllers to take at least 10 hours of rest between shifts. The maximum rest period required between shifts is currently nine hours. Additionally, the FAA requires controllers to take at least 12 hours of rest before a night shift.
The new regulations will take effect within 90 days.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) criticized the decision, saying the FAA made the decision without fully investigating the unintended consequences of increased fatigue.
NATCA said the FAA did not model these adjustments to determine what unintended consequences it might have on already stretched controller coverage.
NATCA is concerned that the FAA's move will lead to "coverage holes" and that filling these holes will require controllers to work overtime, exacerbating the fatigue problem.
The FAA has said its air traffic control agency is severely understaffed and has been looking to increase hiring. The FAA has hired 1,500 new air traffic controllers in 2023 and plans to recruit 1,800 in 2024.