IATA proposes higher age limit of 67 years for pilots operating commercial flights

New Delhi: Global airlines' grouping IATA has proposed increasing the upper age limit to 67 years for pilots who are operating multi-pilot commercial flights.

Amid a shortage of available pilots compared to the rising demand spurred by aviation sector growth, the proposal has been made by IATA to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents around 350 airlines worldwide, including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet.

In a working paper titled 'Proposal to Raise the Multi-Pilot Commercial Air Transport Pilot Age Limit to 67 years', IATA said the growth of the aviation industry worldwide is causing the demand for pilots to outstrip supply.

"Raising CAT (Commercial Air Transport) pilot age limits to allow more pilots to continue to work is aligned with 15 of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the initiative of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Programme to ensure a sufficient supply, whether recruiting older candidates or retaining existing pilots, of qualified aviation professionals for the future," it said.

In 2006, the upper age limit for pilots for operating multi-pilot flights was increased to 65 years from 60 years.

Emphasising that raising the limit to 65 years has not compromised aviation safety and integrity, the airlines' grouping said the proposed increase to age 67 years is a "cautious but reasonable step consistent with safety".

In at least three countries -- Canada, Australia and and New Zealand -- there are no upper age limits for pilots, including for those pilots undertaking CAT operations.

The retirement age for commercial pilots in India, which is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets, is 65 years.

According to IATA, the working paper supports ICAO initiatives to date to progress more integrated systems of medical assessment.

These will ensure the safe implementation of changes to pilot age limits as well as reinforce the value and effectiveness of a risk-assessed, systems-based integrated approach to management of any medical condition that might affect flight safety, it added.

Further, the airlines' grouping said there is no evidence of increased on-duty medical safety events in licensed air traffic controllers who are not subject to age limits, who are assessed to similar functional requirements, incapacity risk targets, and operational competence testing.

"The two leading concerns for future risk of medical-cause fatal accidents are mental health conditions and problematic substance use (e.g., alcohol and other drugs). These potential causes of aviation-related fatalities tend to present in a younger demographic," it said in the working paper.