Safe Skies Act of 2026

Overview

• Bill: H.R. 7526
• Short title: Safe Skies Act of 2026
• Purpose: To require the Secretary of Transportation to modify the final rule on flightcrew member duty and rest requirements so that these rules governing flightcrews in passenger operations also apply to all-cargo operations conducted by air carriers.
• Introduced: February 12, 2026
• Primary sponsors: Rep. Carbahal (with multiple co-sponsors)
• Status as of document: Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation (Feb 13, 2026) and to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Feb 12, 2026)

What the bill would do

• Mandate modification of a specific FAA rule to extend duty and rest requirements:
  • The final rule currently governing flightcrew member duty and rest for passenger operations would be applied to all-cargo operations as well.
• Timeline for action:
  • The Secretary of Transportation must complete the modification within 30 days after enactment.
• Rule being modified:
  • The final rule published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 4, 2012 (77 Fed. Reg. 330) relating to flightcrew member duty and rest requirements.

Key provisions

• Section 2(a): General requirement
  • Within 30 days after enactment, the Secretary of Transportation must modify the final rule so that its flightcrew duty and rest requirements apply to all-cargo operations with the same requirements as for passenger operations.
• Section 2(b): Final rule specification
  • Identifies the final rule to be modified as the FAA rule from January 4, 2012 (77 Fed. Reg. 330) on flightcrew member duty and rest.
• Section 2(c): Rulemaking requirements
  • The standard notice-and-comment requirements under 5 U.S.C. § 553 (the typical federal rulemaking process) do not apply to this modification. In other words, the modification process is exempt from typical Administrative Procedure Act procedures.

Who/what would be affected

• Entities affected:
  • U.S. air carriers operating all-cargo (freighter) services.
  • Flightcrew members (pilots, and related crew) on all-cargo operations.
• Relative impact:
  • All-cargo operations would be subject to the same duty-hour and rest-period standards currently applied to passenger operations, potentially affecting scheduling, staffing, and operations.

Procedural and timeline aspects

• Enactment timeline:
  • The Secretary must complete the modification within 30 days of enactment.
• Regulatory process:
  • The bill exempts the modification from the standard notice-and-comment (APA) rulemaking process, expediting implementation.
• Next steps if enacted:
  • The FAA would publish the adjusted rule applying passenger-operation duty and rest standards to all-cargo flightcrews in all-cargo operations.

Potential implications and considerations

• Safety:
  • Aims to harmonize safety standards across passenger and all-cargo operations by ensuring flightcrew duty times and rest periods are consistently applied, potentially reducing fatigue-related risks.
• Operational impact:
  • Cargo carriers may need to adjust flight schedules, crew rosters, and rest facilities to comply with the extended or applied rest requirements.
• Implementation risk:
  • The 30-day deadline and APA exemption suggest a rapid transition; carriers and regulators would need to finalize and operationalize the updated rule promptly.

If you’d like, I can add a comparison with the current passenger-operation rules, or outline potential economic and safety impacts for carriers and flightcrews in more detail.