ALPA President: Industry-led Push for Reduced-crew Flights Threatens Aviation

01 Feb, 2024
By By SARAH ROSE • News Writer , AIN
ALPA president Jason Ambrosi Civil Aviation Organization Reduced-crew Flights

ALPA president Jason Ambrosi sharply criticized the industry-led push to eliminate pilots from flight decks in a speech to the Air Line Pilots Association International this week. “I believe that this issue is the single greatest threat to aviation safety. This is about removing pilots—all of us—from the flight deck over time,” he said.


Ambrosi suggested that there is a systematic effort to roll back numbers of crewmembers across all flights, beginning with cargo crews—but with the intent of expanding to passenger flights. He said that the industry is now at a “tipping point” for the issue.


“It’s not happening a decade from now, it’s happening right now,” he added. “The scale of this threat should make everyone in this room sit up and take notice—and want to fight back, which is exactly what ALPA is doing.” ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world.


Ambrosi led a panel discussion where he highlighted efforts to lobby both the International Civil Aviation Organization and EASA to consider more reduced-crew operations. He cited recent events in the news, such as Alaska Airlines flight 1282’s door plug accident, as reasons why the push for reduced crews would be a step backward, and he urged lawmakers to take action.


“There are many reminders all around us that Congress must act now to provide the FAA the funding and policy direction it needs to keep the U.S. aviation system the safest in the world. I urge the Senate to act expeditiously to pass an FAA reauthorization bill that enhances safety and does not introduce uncertainty into a system that is working to protect passengers, crews, and cargo,” said Ambrosi.

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