Airlines want FAA to rethink new higher-training pilot rules

Airline-industry officials are stepping up efforts to fight more-stringent training rules for new pilots, saying congressional mandates could lead to a nationwide shortage of commercial aviators….they object to a law that requires at least 1,500 hours of flying—six times the current minimum—before pilots can take the controls of scheduled flights on cargo or passenger planes.

Lawmakers bolstered training requirements in an effort to enhance safety, but with the rules set to kick in next August, industry leaders …want Congress to call for a study by the Government Accountability Office to determine the scope and timing of the looming shortage of fresh pilots just as the industry braces for thousands of mandatory retirements of older ones.

Industry leaders argue the pending rules won’t enhance safety because they focus on the quantity, rather than quality of training.