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

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Ryan Ewing

Pilots in the flight deck [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) proposed raising the age limit for multipilot commercial air transport pilots from 65 to 67, arguing it would not impact safety and reflects modern medical understanding.
The proposal received mixed reactions from ICAO member states; some supported it as a pragmatic measure for workforce issues, while others expressed significant concerns regarding health, fatigue, and lack of sufficient scientific data.
The ICAO Secretariat acknowledged the inconclusive medical science and diverse state practices, emphasizing the need for more data generation and harmonized medical oversight frameworks before safely supporting a global age limit increase.

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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.