A group of Republican lawmakers is proposing legislation to raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age from 65 to 67 years old as the airline industry struggles to keep up with demand amid staffing shortages.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) announced the Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act on Monday, which would require pilots over 65 years old to maintain a first-class medical certification that needs to be renewed every six months.
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“We’ve got to get more people in the queue to be pilots, but we also have to adjust our age in a reasonable, rational way to keep people in the cockpit,” Graham told reporters, according to CNBC. “Other countries allow people to fly to 67 and beyond. And I am confident that this is a bipartisan issue.”
The proposed legislation would not change any other pilot requirements. In 2007, the mandatory retirement age was raised from 60 to 65 years old.
The proposal comes after a recent study projected that the United States will be short 12,000 pilots by 2023. Meanwhile, nearly 14,000 licensed pilots in the U.S. will reach the mandatory retirement age over the next five years and be forced to retire.
Under the proposed legislation, around 5,000 pilots would be able to continue flying over the next two years, said Drew Remos, senior director of government affairs with the Regional Airline Association.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg previously expressed his opposition to raising the retirement age, arguing that it compromises safety.
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Flight cancellations in 2022 have already surpassed last year’s total and are on track to become one of the worst years on record after scores of flights have been canceled in recent months.
The disruption to air travel has been caused by myriad factors, including weather complications, airlines scheduling flights past their capacities, and shortages of pilots and air traffic controllers. Pilot shortages were exacerbated by policies during the COVID-19 pandemic that offered pilots attractive early retirement packages.
