Sen. Lindsey Graham Aims To Raise Retirement Age for Commercial Pilots

Proposed legislation would allow qualified pilots to stay two more years to age 67.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 01:21 PM ET

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U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is part of a group that has introduced legislation that would raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots from 65 to 67. [File photo: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced legislation, the "Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act," to raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots from 65 to 67.
The proposed change aims to alleviate the severe pilot shortage currently leading to widespread flight cancellations across the airline industry.
Under the legislation, pilots older than 65 would be required to maintain a first-class medical certification every six months and adhere to FAA-approved training standards.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) opposes the move, citing potential safety risks and arguing that the industry's problems stem from airline mismanagement, not a pilot shortage.

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U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and a group of colleagues introduced legislation that would raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots to 67 from 65. The proposed change is meant to help alleviate the pilot shortage that has led to waves of flight cancellations across the airline industry.

The announcement follows months of speculation that Graham was considering such a plan. Congress last raised the retirement age for commercial pilots, to 65 from 60, in 2007.