FAA Proposes Sweeping Pilot Fatigue Rule Overhaul After NTSB Documents 14 Near-Miss Incidents

USA – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on 28 March 2026 proposing the most significant revision to U.S. pilot rest requirements since the landmark 2013 rule that followed the 2009 Colgan Air crash, with direct implications for airline crew scheduling, pilot training throughput, and workforce planning across the U.S. aviation sector.

• The NPRM was triggered by an NTSB investigation documenting 14 fatigue-related near-miss incidents between January 2024 and June 2025. Eleven of the 14 incidents occurred during duty periods that began between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time, and nine of the 14 involved regional carriers.
• Key proposed changes include raising the minimum rest period before early-morning flight duty periods to 10 hours, capping consecutive early-morning starts at three before a mandatory 30-hour rest reset, and introducing a 220-hour flight duty period ceiling over any rolling 28-day period.
• The FAA expects to publish a final rule no earlier than Q1 2027. Major Part 121 carriers would then have 18 months to comply, with regional operators given a 24-month implementation window — placing full compliance at mid-to-late 2028 at the earliest.
• The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), representing approximately 67,000 U.S. and Canadian pilots, has endorsed the proposed changes. ALPA President Jason Ambrosi stated the union had advocated for updated early-morning start requirements since 2019.
• The Senate Commerce Committee, led by Chair Maria Cantwell and Ranking Member Ted Cruz, issued a bipartisan joint statement on 30 March requesting an FAA briefing on the incident data within 30 days. The NPRM is expected to receive scrutiny during FAA reauthorisation oversight hearings scheduled for April 2026.
• Public comments on the NPRM are open until 30 May 2026 via the federal rulemaking portal. Airlines have not indicated plans to voluntarily adopt the proposed standards ahead of any final rule, and current scheduling practices remain legal under the existing 2013 framework.

Source: FAA