Why do airline pilots retire at 65?

“Safety considerations drove the establishment of the current international standard of age 65 mandatory retirement, and raising the pilot retirement age would introduce additional risk into commercial aviation,” said Capt. Ed Sicher, the Allied Pilots Association's president.



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While commercial airline pilots are currently mandated to retire at 65, these same pilots that are forced to retire can still fly corporate and charter jets beyond the age of 65, said Representative Troy Nehls, a Republican, adding the change could help address a pilot shortage.

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In the U.S., there are no FAA age limits for pilots except for commercial airline pilots employed by airlines certificated under 14 CFR Part 121. These airlines cannot employ pilots after they reach the age of 65.

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Retirement values for a 35-year airline pilot career range from $1.8 million to over $3 million at the US major airlines. Retirement benefits are estimated at either 7.5 percent of the defined benefit program, if one is provided, or three percent of the final annual salary.

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After retiring, many pilots pursue second careers as flight trainers or find other jobs in aviation. Or, if they're like Manno, they have different plans.

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Bottom line: You're never too old to travel.

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We average 11-14 days off per month and most pilots will fly several weekends and most holidays unless you are senior. This usually means four 4-day trips (for me) with 2-4 days off between trips. Some senior pilots can get weekends off and choose to only fly 60-70 hours with 16-17 days off.

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Under rules set by the Federal Aviation Administration, commercial airline pilots must retire by the time they are 65. Commercial airlines are not permitted to employ pilots after they reach this age.

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In 1959, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the Airline Age 60 rule subjecting all commercial airline pilots-or those pilots who fly planes with more than thirty-five passengers-to mandatory retirement at age sixty as a safety precaution.

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The age is 55 in Belgium and 57 in France, with various other European countries using 60 as the cut-off.

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Currently, while the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards allow a person between the age of 60 and 65 to serve as pilot in command (PIC) of an airplane with two or more pilots, in international commercial air transport operations, the PIC must be paired with a pilot younger than 60 years of age.

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Bottom line: You're never too old to travel.

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If you are older than 75, the federal Transportation Safety Agency will make special accommodations for you when it comes to going through security. However, you may experience some delay if you have a wearable medical device or medical equipment, which must get checked separately.

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There is no maximum age limit for traveling on airlines. However, a few carriers might have age limitations for particular kinds of movement, like unaccompanied minors or senior passages. It is ideal to check with the particular aircraft you intend to go with for their policies regarding age and travel.

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Indeed, pilots over the age of 65 are already safely serving in U.S. airline Part 135 and charter operations. Additionally, Canada and nine other countries have no mandatory retirement age. Japan has a retirement age of 68. Pilots who meet FAA's stringent health standards can continue to fly safely.

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Responding to a chronic shortage of qualified airline pilots Japan has lifted the upper age limit for pilots to 67 years old. Currently pilots have to retire from the cockpit at 65 and the new rule will allow pilots to continue flying right up to their 68th birthday.

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Pilots are prohibited by international rules for acting as the pilot on a Part 121 and Part 135 operations engaged in international commercial air transport operations if they have reached their 60th birthday (single pilot) or 65th birthday (more than one pilot).

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Half of the pilots in this sample retiring at age 60 were expected to live past 83.8 years of age, compared to 77.4 years for the general population of 60 year-old white males in 1980.

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What if an airline does not have enough flying for a pilot? Fortunately, most pilot employment contracts and CBAs include a monthly hour minimum. This minimum requires the company to pay its pilots for a minimum number of flight hours, regardless of whether those hours are flown.

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