CONGRESS RAISES AIRLINE PILOT RETIREMENT AGE

December 18, 2007

What’s at Issue

Congress has passed, and President Bush has signed, legislation that would increase the retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 60 to 65, with some limitations. H.R. 4343, the “Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act” brings the United States in line with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2006.

Why It’s Important

The movement among airline pilots to increase the retirement age has been gaining momentum for several years. Airline financial difficulty and employee pension issues have impacted the earning ability of commercial airline pilots, and led to calls to increase the artificial mandatory retirement age of 60 set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1959. For decades, both airlines and pilots unions have fought attempts to raise the retirement age, but momentum has shifted in recent years and leading pilots unions have softened their stance on the issue.

In January 2007, the FAA announced it would soon be issuing a rulemaking to increase the pilot retirement age to 65. Unsatisfied with the lengthy timetable of the rulemaking process, members of Congress introduced related bills to increase the retirement age. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate version of the FAA reauthorization legislation include provisions increasing the retirement age; but with that legislation currently stalled, Congress has opted to move a separate bill.

Major Provisions

H.R. 4343 raises the retirement age of Part 121 commercial airline pilots to age 65. In the case of international flights, a pilot over the age of 60 must be accompanied by a pilot under the age of 60. The limitation does not apply to domestic flights. The legislation is not retroactive, although pilots between the ages of 60 and 65 may be rehired at the discretion of the individual airline. There is no requirement to rehire any potentially eligible pilots forced to retire prior to passage of the legislation.

Pilots over the age of 60 would be required to undergo medical review every six months, in place of the annual review required for those under 60. The legislation requires air carriers to enhance recurrent training for these pilots and also requires a line check evaluation every six months.

NATA Position

NATA has supported raising the retirement age for pilots for many years. Raising the age will bring a higher level of safety and stability to the entire aviation industry. Commercial air carriers will benefit from having more experienced pilots at the controls of their aircraft, and will help alleviate the pilot shortage that is beginning to affect the entire aviation industry.

OVER…

(NATA Position Continued)

Raising the retirement age will also have positive ripple effects throughout the industry. Increased labor security among commercial air carriers will lead to reduced turnover among regional and on-demand air charter carriers, whose pilots are often selected for airline positions.

Status

H.R. 4343 was passed unanimously in the House of Representatives on December 11, and the Senate followed suit with their approval by voice vote the following day. President Bush signed the legislation into law on December 13.

Click here to view the FAA online resource page containing additional information on this change.

Staff Contact: Stephen Beaulieu

Manager, Legislative Affairs