The Federal Aviation Administration is enacting new rest rules for U.S. air traffic controllers to address fatigue issues that can reduce aviation safety.
Air traffic controllers will now be required to take 10 hours of vacation between shifts and 12 hours of vacation before the midnight shift. FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said in a statement Friday that the mandate will go into effect within 90 days.
“In my first months as FAA commander, I toured air traffic control facilities across the country and heard concerns about schedules that didn’t always allow controllers enough rest,” he said. . “The safety of our controllers and airspace is always a top priority for the FAA, so I take this very seriously and am taking action.”
Representatives from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association did not respond to requests for comment.
The new mandate comes amid increased scrutiny of U.S. aviation safety. On Thursday, the FAA announced it was investigating a near-miss incident at Washington’s Reagan International Airport. Acting Secretary of State Billy Nolen convened an emergency summit on the nation’s aviation safety system after a series of near misses last year.
Whitaker, who took over as FAA administrator in October, commissioned a study on fatigue within his first few weeks. A subsequent 114-page report found that sleep deprivation, particularly in night shift and shift work situations, “can lead to decreased safety and performance, leading to errors, incidents and accidents.”