On Monday, July 15, the FAA published a final rule that will allow some air tour operators who are currently required to run two separate employee drug and alcohol testing programs to combine them into one. “This duplication adds administrative and financial burdens for the operator but it does not increase safety,” the agency wrote in the Federal Register.

The new rule applies to Part 121 air carrier and Part 135 commuter or on-demand operators who also have Part 91 commercial air tour operations. All three parts of the federal aviation regulations require drug and alcohol testing for any person who performs safety-sensitive functions for the operator.

In 2007, the FAA implemented the National Air Tours Safety Standards rule, which required drug and alcohol testing for local commercial air tours operated under Part 91.147 (air tours that take off from and land at the same airport, and remain within 25 statute miles of that airport) that is separate from the testing required by Parts 121 and 135 — even if the same personnel are involved in the Part 121/135 and Part 91 operations. Since 2008, the FAA has granted approximately 135 waivers to the requirement, allowing operators to run a single testing program.

“Given the large number of exemptions that the Agency has granted, and the need to renew them every two years, the FAA believes it is appropriate to simply amend the existing rule,” wrote the FAA.

According to the Federal Register, the FAA plans to post additional information about implementing the change on its Drug Abatement website.

Existing waivers permitting a single testing program will expire on the new rule’s effective date. Operators who already hold such an exemption will not need to do anything to be compliant with the new rule once it becomes effective.

The effective date is Sept. 13, 2013.