CAPA urges higher cargo flights safety standards

The Coalition of Airline Pilots Association (CAPA), a coalition of unions representing 26,000 pilots, has urged the U.S. FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) to implement one standard of safety for all air carriers, reports Schednet.com.

Specifically, CAPA asked the FAA to require that all cargo carriers conducting scheduled operations adhere to the same rules as passenger aircraft.

“Safety concerns such as pilot fatigue are a critical problem today. As an example, the limits on flight-time/duty-time imposed on FedEx as a supplemental carrier are not as comprehensive as those applied to the average passenger pilot. We all fly in the same airspace, right next to, above, below, and around passenger aircraft, so the lowest safety standard present, in effect, becomes the controlling safety standard. Addressing this issue is a crucial first step in improving overall airline safety,” said Captain David Webb, president of the FedEx Pilots Association.