Updated Business Aviation Fatigue Management Guide Endorsed by ICAO

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently endorsed a business aviation fatigue management guide that contains recommendations originally made by NBAA and the Flight Safety Foundation.

In the most recent version of the Fatigue Management Guide for General Aviation Operators of Large and Turbojet Aeroplanes, several groups, including ICAO, the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the Flight Safety Foundation, completed additional work to make the guidance applicable globally.

“We are pleased that ICAO has endorsed this comprehensive guide, which now provides a global guide for best practices addressing fatigue in business aviation,” said Doug Carr, NBAA vice president of regulatory and international affairs.

Incorporated into the new fatigue management guide are elements of Principles and Guidelines for Duty and Rest Scheduling in Corporate and Business Aviation, which was produced in collaboration with NBAA’s Safety Committee. This document included Flight Safety Foundation guidelines for business aviation duty and rest, which were updated in April 2014.

“About three years ago, the NBAA Safety Committee identified fatigue as a key safety issue for business aviation, and partnered with the Flight Safety Foundation to update its standard-setting guide, which has long served the business aviation industry as a guide to minimizing the risks posed by fatigue,” said Carr.

“We are hopeful ICAO’s recognition of this work will provide business aircraft operators with the incentives to combine the updated science-based information provided in this manual with training to develop fatigue-mitigation programs, as well as fitness-for-duty programs that will reduce the safety risks associated with fatigue,” he added.

"NBAA recommends that business aviators proactively mitigate fatigue as part of a broader fitness for duty program applying to all individuals who perform safety-sensitive functions,” said Mark Larsen, CAM, NBAA senior manager of safety and flight operations. “The 24/7 nature of business aviation, the severity of the consequences of fatigue, and the frequency with which fatigue is being reported a concern are all evidence of the need to proactively manage this hazard.”