FAA is reconsidering its exemption for cargo carriers from its pilot flight time, duty and rest regulations, conceding that it made “errors” in developing its justification for the exemption.
FAA finalized strict new fatigue rules for pilots late last year, but cargo pilots were not included in the new regulations. The Independent Pilots Assn. (IPA), representing about 2,700 United Parcel Service (UPS) pilots, challenged the exemption in court. “The rule is wholly and utterly opaque when it comes to providing any factual support for the cost-benefit conclusions reached,” IPA said.
FAA acknowledged last week that it has asked the court to suspend the IPA’s case “while the agency corrects inadvertent errors found in the FAA's cost-benefit analysis for cargo flight operations. The FAA will ask an outside group to review the cargo analysis and then will reissue the cargo analysis for public comment.”
IPA president Robert Travis said, “In the context of our lawsuit, the FAA is now willing to allow for an open and public examination of the costs and benefits of having one level of aviation safety … Make no mistake, this is not a final victory. However, getting the FAA to reconsider this critical safety issue under the bright light of full public scrutiny and accountability is an important first step.”
Article Source : ATW Daily News
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