Regulations and Government
FAA Reauthorization Passes Senate Committee Following Retirement Age Debate
Raising the retirement age conflicts with international mandate
Committee chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) discusses the FAA Reauthorization Act.
© U.S. Senate

The FAA Reauthorization Act was passed through the Senate Committee for Commerce, Science, and Transportation this morning after a contentious debate about raising the mandatory retirement age of commercial airline pilots from 65 to 67.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), who sponsored the amendment to raise the retirement age, said that raising the age would be a safe and effective means for combating a shortage of pilots in the industry. “I think each of us would rather have an experienced pilot in the captain’s seat than a younger, inexperienced pilot who maybe has not faced some of these situations,” she said. “What we do know is this: the pilot shortage is leading to a loss of air service across the country especially in our regional and rural airports.”