Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate will address airline flight cancellations caused by a shortage of pilots.
The Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act would require air carriers to continue using pilot training and qualification programs approved by the Federal Aviation Administration; raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age from 65 to 67; and require pilots older than 65 to maintain a first-class medical certification that must be renewed every six months.
The bill does not change or alter any other qualification to become a commercial airline pilot.
Approximately 5,000 fully qualified pilots will be forced to retire within the next two years. This figure is expected to increase because 50 percent of airline pilots are baby boomers.
The last time the retirement age was raised was 2007. At the time, it was raised from 60 to 65.
Safety precautions prevent accidents in case of incapacitation, and medical reports concluded age had an insignificant impact on performance in the cockpit.
U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and John Thune (R-SD) introduced the bill.
A shortage of available pilots and crews has caused hundreds of flights to be canceled, a situation worsen by forced pilot retirements.