What Different Nations Are Saying About Raising Pilot Retirement Age

IATA proposal to extend careers sparks a contentious debate at the ICAO General Assembly.

Ryan Ewing

Friday, September 26, 2025 at 01:39 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Pilots in the flight deck [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) proposed raising the mandatory retirement age for multipilot commercial air transport pilots from 65 to 67 at the ICAO General Assembly, asserting it would not impact safety and aligns with modern medical understanding.
The proposal garnered support from several states, some viewing it as a pragmatic solution to mitigate workforce issues, but faced significant opposition from other nations and pilot associations due to concerns about pilot health, cognitive decline, potential safety risks, and lack of scientific data.
The ICAO Commission acknowledged that current medical science on the effects of raising the age limit is inconclusive, highlighting diverse state practices and data deficiencies, and emphasized the need for further data collection and research to develop a safe, evidence-based, and globally harmonized approach.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) presented a proposal to raise the age limit for multipilot commercial air transport pilots from 65 to 67 at the 42nd ICAO General Assembly in Montreal.

The proposal, introduced during the technical commission meeting on Thursday, aims to follow the same approach used in 2006 when the age limit was previously increased from 60 to 65.