The head of the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday said the agency will increase the required amount of rest time for air traffic controllers in response to concerns over fatigue amid a staffing shortage.
The changes, which would take effect within 90 days, would require controllers to have at least 10 hours of rest between shifts, up from nine hours, and 12 hours of rest before an overnight shift.
“In my first few months at the helm of the FAA, I toured air traffic control facilities around the country — and heard concerns about schedules that do not always allow controllers to get enough rest,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. “With the safety of our controllers and national airspace always top of mind for FAA, I took this very seriously — and we’re taking action.”
The changes come as pressure on the FAA grows to improve air travel safety amid a spate of close calls at airports, as well as mechanical problems at some airlines and production problems at Boeing…
