Washington - A senator is proposing to exempt pilots that fly US troops around the world from new safety regulations being drafted by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Senator James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, offered an amendment on Wednesday that would prevent the FAA from including pilots for non-scheduled airlines in new rules to limit hours pilots can fly to prevent fatigue. The Senate is considering a bill to authorise FAA programmes for the next two years.
Non-scheduled airlines fly 95 percent of troops and 40 percent of military cargo. The airlines say their business' unpredictable nature means pilots sometimes have to fly longer hours.
Fatigue has been cited as a factor in some air crashes.
Pilot unions oppose the amendment. They say non-scheduled airline pilots get tired the same as other pilots. - Sapa-AP