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 pilots from 65 to 67 at the ICAO General Assembly, asserting it would not impact safety and aligns with modern medical understanding.
The proposal received mixed reactions from member states and organizations; some supported it as a pragmatic solution to workforce issues, while others expressed significant concerns regarding safety, pilot health, cognitive decline, and the lack of conclusive scientific data.
ICAO acknowledged the inconclusive nature of current medical science on the age increase and emphasized the need for comprehensive data generation, collection, and the development of harmonized medical oversight frameworks to ensure safety before any global age limit change.

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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.