Cruz Suggests Possibly ‘Abolishing’ Mandatory Pilot Retirement Age
https://avbrief.com/cruz-suggests-po...KISaZvVKtkrM4A
Senator Ted Cruz, chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee, has formally asked President Donald Trump to potentially abolish mandatory retirement age requirementsas U.S. policy at the General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal this week. Cruz, who also sits on the aviation panel of the committee, said in a letter to Trump that the current retirement age of 65 needlessly forces “early retirement” of thousands of highly experienced and qualified pilots every year. “America should lead on the international stage in support of raising, or even abolishing, the pilot retirement age,” Reuters quoted the letter as saying.
The International Air Transport Association, which represents almost all airlines, will formally request ICAO raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots flying internationally from 65 to 67. The rule applies to all pilots flying international routes but does not cover domestic flights although most countries, including the U.S., apply the same standards to domestic aviation. So far major aviation nations including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand and the U.K. have backed the IATA proposal, but the U.S. has not announced a position. Trump won’t be at the meeting but both Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford will be, and whatever position they take will likely carry a lot of weight. Just last year Congress rejected a proposal to raise the age after the FAA said it needed more time to study the potential impact.
The Air Line Pilots Association is stridently opposed to the proposal, citing potential safety concerns. “The United States is the global leader in aviation safety, and we should resist any attempts to arbitrarily make changes to the regulatory framework that has helped us achieve this record,” ALPA told Reuters. “That’s why Congress rejected making a change to the pilot retirement age just last year.”