Senators Send Duffy Letter Urging Him To Voice Opposition At ICAO

A large group of U.S. senators led by Senators Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy urging the FAA to strongly oppose single-pilot operations for commercial airline operations at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The goal of opposing such crew reductions is to maintain the gold standard of American aviation safety.

Capt. Jason Ambrosi, President of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) issued a statement praising the action of the senators. The statement reads:

“We appreciate the leadership of Senators Sheehy and Duckworth on this very important issue and are grateful to the dozens of senators who are working to ensure that U.S. aviation remains the safest around the world. To prevent this risk to safety from reaching our country, we must work together with aviation regulators and stakeholders to discourage it across the globe.

“We cannot allow foreign regulators to persuade ICAO to establish global standards for single-pilot operations, as that would create market pressures in our nation to adopt practices that undermine safety. And we cannot allow for unsafe conditions for American passengers traveling in and out of the United States on foreign carriers.”

The letter specifically requests the FAA:

• Oppose the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's concept, called “extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO),” and other related reduced-crew efforts at ICAO
• Directly engage with European counterparts to ensure pilot and aircraft standards meet the highest safety requirements
• Maintain global aircraft design and flight deck redundancy standards, requiring a minimum of two pilots

Capt. Ambrosi’s statement continued, “The U.S. should continue to lead the world in aviation safety, which is why we’re engaging with our European counterparts to ensure that this dangerous concept is not implemented. There is no safety rationale for removing pilots from the flight deck, and we fully support the Senate's effort to halt these initiatives. Whether a flight is carrying cargo or passengers, there is no replacement for two pilots on the flight deck.”

FMI:  alpa.org/ , Letter to Duffy