FAA rejects proposal to halve flight-time requirement for pilots as shortage prompts route cuts

The Federal Aviation Administration connected Monday said it has rejected a connection to halve the fig of hours required to go a co-pilot, arsenic a terrible shortage of aviators prompts carriers to chopped routes.

Republic Airways, which flies abbreviated routes for Delta, American and United, projected to regulators successful April that pilots beryllium allowed to articulation an hose aft 750 hours of formation clip erstwhile they've completed the carrier's grooming program.

Normally, 1,500 hours of formation clip are required earlier a caller aviator tin alert commercially, though determination is an objection for definite subject acquisition that cuts the request successful half.

The alleged 1,500-hour regularisation was passed aft the fatal Colgan Air crash successful February 2009 adjacent Buffalo, New York. The clang besides led to caller requirements for a minimum play of remainder for pilots earlier a flight.

"The FAA considers it to beryllium of greater nationalist involvement to guarantee and support the level of information provided by the instauration of an integrated aviation acquisition required by" existent criteria, the bureau said successful its decision, which was released a time up of a determination hose league successful Washington, D.C.

The FAA's determination comes arsenic airlines grapple with a terrible shortfall of pilots, which executives person blamed connected work cuts, peculiarly to tiny cities.

Republic Airways didn't instantly comment.