The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), gathered representatives from government agencies, the airlines, and other aviation labor groups at a landmark conference this week to explore how the Federal Aviation Administration’s new pilot fatigue rule could be put into practice and how the airline industry can implement Fatigue Risk Management Programs and other tools to further enhance aviation safety.

“While the Federal Aviation Administration’s release of new, science-based pilot fatigue regulations was extremely important progress in passenger-carrying operations, much more work must be done if we are to truly eliminate pilot fatigue as a safety concern throughout the airline industry,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, seized the opportunity to bring the industry together to roll up our sleeves and explore how the new regulations will be implemented to ensure a smooth transition to the new FAR Part 117 and position pilots to deliver on their commitment to the highest standards of safety.”

At the conference, more than 160 participants held wide-ranging discussions on all aspects of implementing the new flight- and duty-time regulations and minimum rest requirements, as well as innovative approaches to the fatigue challenge, including making the most of tools such as Fatigue Risk Management Systems to allow flexibility while enhancing safety.

“The monumental achievement embodied by the FAA’s new science-based regulations was not without political interference and the result was a ‘carve-out’ that excludes pilots who fly cargo from this important safety regulation and places them at a lower level of safety,” said Capt. Moak. “ALPA will not waver in its commitment to achieving ‘One Level of Safety’ throughout the airline industry. A fundamental component of this goal includes applying the new fatigue rules to all professional pilots, regardless of whether they transport passengers or cargo. As long as pilots who fly cargo are excluded from these critical safety regulations, ALPA’s work is not complete. We are committed to achieving the same high safety standards for all air carrier operations, and to including pilots who fly cargo in the FAA’s new pilot fatigue regulations, which represent a monumental improvement in aviation safety.”