ALPA: Canada Must Enact Adequate Pilot Fatigue Rules Now

TIN news:  The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) today, before the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, highlighted the need for the federal government to immediately implement science-based fatigue rules for all commercial pilots in Canada.

“Updating flight time/duty time and minimum rest requirements is one of the most important aviation safety initiatives for flight crews in Canada, and new rules are long overdue. However, recent efforts to weaken proposed rules are unacceptable. We cannot continue to let Canada fall behind on this vital step forward for aviation safety,” said Capt. Dan Adamus, ALPA Canada president.

While the rest of the world has progressed in line with international standards, Canada’s current rules continue to lag behind. In 2014, long-overdue draft prescriptive regulations were released and would have brought Canada’s flight- and duty-time regulations in line with international standards had they been implemented. However, due to pressure from some industry stakeholders, when the Notice of Intent was published last month, several key provisions were diluted, creating loopholes that would continue to allow Canada’s fatigue regulations to fall below global science-based standards.

“The need to implement adequate regulations is urgent. Canada’s current rules remain one of the most lax in the world in terms of protecting the traveling public and pilots from the safety risk associated with fatigue. We implore the committee to do everything in its power and make recommendations to the government that will prevent these inadequate rules from proceeding as currently proposed,” added Capt. Adamus.