IATA Urges ICAO to Lift Pilot Retirement Age to 67

The International Air Transport Association has formally asked the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization to raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots on international routes to 67 from 65. IATA, which represents roughly 350 carriers, said the two-year extension is a "cautious but reasonable" response to surging global demand for air travel and a tightening supply of qualified aviators. Under the proposal, each flight would still require at least two pilots, with at least one of them younger than 65 if the other is older. ICAO last lifted the age ceiling in 2006, when it moved the limit to 65 from 60. The new request will be considered at the agency’s General Assembly convening on 23 September. Major U.S. pilot unions, including the Allied Pilots Association, argue there is insufficient data to ensure safety at higher ages and have opposed similar domestic attempts to extend the limit. The debate comes as airlines worldwide look for ways to ease staffing constraints that threaten to curb growth in passenger capacity.