Pilots and flight attendant unions are sounding alarms at an attempt in Congress to raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots by two years to 67.
The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, which reauthorizes funding for the Federal Aviation Administration and aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years, includes an amendment that would raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67. House bill 3935 was approved by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on June 14 after a House subcommittee tacked on the amendment to alter the age commercial airline pilots have to step down.
The Regional Airline Association is supportive of the house bill, stating the age change is “modest” and allows for the retention of more experienced captains, who can in turn fly alongside and mentor new first officers, to stabilize attrition. Concerns have been rising over the crippling shortage of pilots that has accumulated over the last several decades.
