U.S. Senators Urge FAA to Oppose Single-Pilot Operations

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today led 43 of their Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to vigorously oppose single-pilot operations for commercial airline operations at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and maintain America's gold standard in aviation safety.

“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,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA president. “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.”

In the letter, the bipartisan coalition requested that 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

The senators also warned that U.S. inaction on single-pilot issues in international forums, including ICAO, could allow global aviation safety standards to deteriorate and create downstream pressure on domestic safety regulations, manufacturers, and air carriers. They emphasize that the FAA has both the authority and responsibility to exercise leadership at ICAO on human factors and increased flightdeck automation.

“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,” said Ambrosi. “Whether a flight is carrying cargo or passengers, there is no replacement for two pilots on the flight deck.”

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