A group of U.S. senators is urging the U.S. Mission to the International Civil Aviation Organization (USICAO) to support a change in the standard commercial pilot retirement age.
U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), John Thune (R-SD), Joe Manchin (I-WV), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) wrote in a letter to USICAO Charge d’Affairs Anthony Clare and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking them to support raising the mandatory retirement age, a change they say reduce accidents by retaining years of experience on the flight deck.
“We are writing to urge the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Mission to the International Civil Aviation Organization (USICAO) to actively participate in and support the effort along with other ICAO member states—to raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age standard,” the senators wrote. “The American public deserves the most qualified and experienced pilots when traveling.”
The law makers said the ICAO advanced a formal recommendation this year to raise or eliminate the institution’s recommended pilot retirement age of 65. Saying the recommendation follows research from around the world that experienced pilots have fewer accidents than their junior counterparts, the group said raising the retirement age would result in a reduction of accidents by closing the experience gap and retaining more experienced pilots.
The group further said that not raising the retirement age would allow the Chinese Communist Party to attain a competitive advantage over the U.S.
“The USICAO is tasked with improving the safety, security, and sustainability of civil aviation in the U.S., and, as such, has an obligation to advocate for changes to international standards to benefit American consumers and our dominance in the skies,” the senators wrote. “Therefore, the USICAO should not spend this debate sitting on the sidelines. If the United States cedes our leadership role in this space on the international stage, we know that China—who is presently and actively joining our partners to advocate for raising the pilot retirement age—will gladly fill that void.”