Fighting fatigue in the skies
Feds have introduced new rules to regulate a pilot’s flight, duty time and increase alertness
The federal government has introduced new rules to govern how long commercial pilots can be on duty, replacing regulations it says were out of date and lagged international standards, creating the risk of a fatigue-related accident.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced the changes Wednesday, saying the new flight and duty time restrictions “respect modern fatigue science” to limit how long pilots can work and “will make flying safer.”
“Science tells us that fatigue diminishes alertness, slows down reaction time and alters judgment,” Garneau told a news conference.
The new rules will mean changes to flight time — how long a pilot is at the controls — as well as duty time, which counts not only flying time, but also the time a pilot is at the airport before a flight or between flights.
But responding to industry concerns that tougher rules would hit the bottom line and unduly upset flight schedules, the regulations will also allow air carriers to apply for an exemption for some parts of their operations. The proposed rules would restrict a commercial pilot to being on duty 13 hours in a day, down from 14 now. Pilots flying at night or multiple legs would fly even fewer hours.
The changes would also restrict pilots to working a maximum of three nights on duty in a row without a rest during the night or up to five nights if rest is provided.
The proposed regulations would increase the length of rest periods to as much as 12 hours, up from about eight hours now. Pilots would be limited to flying 1,000 hours a year, down from 1,200.
The changes also amend regulations to ensure that pilots are fit for duty when they show up for work, considering their mental and physical condition and the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Air crew will be prohibited from working within 12 hours of drinking alcohol, up from eight hours now.
Department officials said the rules to combat pilot fatigue strike a balance between ideal rules and operational realities. “We do not want regulations that would cripple our industry,” one official told a briefing.