Garamendi, Bresnahan, +150 Members of Congress Demands DOT and FAA to Reject Dangerous Single-Pilot Airline Proposals

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08) and Congressman Rob Bresnahan Jr. (R-PA-08) led a bipartisan coalition of more than 150 Members of Congress in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford to express deep concern over efforts to allow single-pilot operations on commercial airline flights.

The Members urged the Department of Transportation and FAA to reject proposals for Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO), a framework that would allow a single pilot to remain on the flight deck while the second rests—ultimately paving the way for full-time single-pilot flights.

“Single-pilot operations jeopardize safety, undermine decades of best practices, and put pilots and passengers at unacceptable risk,” said Congressman Garamendi. “Two rested, qualified pilots in the cockpit are a cornerstone of commercial aviation safety, and we must not erode that standard in the name of convenience or cost savings.”

"Aviation safety should never be jeopardized for the false hope of reducing labor costs. A two pilot-crew is vital to ensuring that passengers and crew members are kept safe in case of emergency," said Congressman Bresnahan. "My background in construction taught me all safety procedures need a backup, and in this case, a second pilot is that backup. I am proud to partner with Rep. Garamendi on bringing this issue to the FAA's attention."

"We appreciate the leadership of Rep. Garamendi and Rep. Bresnahan on this very important issue and are grateful to the dozens of Representatives 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 manufacturers and 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 cites studies by NASA and the FAA showing significant increases in pilot workload and decreased perception of safety when only one pilot is responsible for operations. Lawmakers also warn that proposals being pushed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to normalize eMCO could create pressure on global aviation safety standards, including those in the United States.

The letter urges the FAA to take a firm position at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to oppose reduced-crew proposals and defend global aviation safety standards that require at least two pilots in the cockpit of commercial aircraft.

The Members also called on FAA officials to fully implement safety provisions from the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act, which directs the agency to consider human factors and cockpit automation risks as new technologies are integrated.

Read the full letter HERE.

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