The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the FAA establish and publicly release timelines for two pilot training initiatives required under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. In a report released Thursday, GAO said the FAA has made internal progress on the Enhanced Qualification Program (EQP) and on a new national office for overseeing designated pilot examiners, but has not issued the EQP requirements or the first required DPE report to Congress.
The EQP would create a new FAA-certified, airline-led training bridge for eligible pilots seeking a restricted-privileges ATP certificate. EQP would allow qualified Part 121 air carriers to provide additional standardized training directly or through contracted Part 141 or Part 142 training providers. The curriculum is expected to cover airline operations, aircraft automation, standard operating procedures, crew resource management, checklist use, simulator-based scenarios and aircraft-specific instruction before eligible pilots enter airline service.
GAO said the initiatives could help support the regional pilot pipeline, despite recent gains following post-pandemic hiring waves. According to the report, one airline told GAO it withdrew regional service from 29 airports in 2022, many of which served small communities. Pilot supply has since improved, with FAA pilot certifications increasing about 10 percent from 2017 through 2024, but GAO said retirements may continue to affect future supply. The Department of Transportation concurred with GAO’s recommendations.