Thanks to Congressman Troy Nehls for his unwavering support
Broad Support Builds for Raising Retirement Age to 67
(Washington, DC) — Experienced Pilots Advancing Safety (EPAS) has been invited as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to the Regional Airline Association (RAA) Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., now underway.
At this event, EPAS has been working directly with Congressman Troy Nehls, who is re-introducing legislation to raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots. His new bill mirrors last year’s version, which passed successfully in the House of Representatives.
This year, EPAS is confident the Senate will follow suit. We are actively working with Senators to ensure passage and final adoption. Support for this reform is overwhelming:·
Congress has repeatedly backed raising the age.·
The Executive Branch has reinforced its commitment by nominating Captain Jeff Anderson to serve as U.S. Ambassador to ICAO.·
The international aviation community is aligned. ICAO’s Assembly will consider Working Paper 349, filed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), calling for the multi-pilot international age limit to rise from 65 to 67.
Numerous member nations are expected to support this measure on the Assembly floor, including all states already permitting pilots over 65, the entire European Union, and China.·
The American public has supported the initiative from the beginning—because who wouldn’t want the most qualified, vetted, and experienced pilots at the controls of commercial aircraft?
The only organized opposition comes from the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Their stance is not about safety. It is political—and profoundly hypocritical.
ALPA’s opposition is:·
Discriminatory: targeting pilots solely because of age.·
Contradictory: Canadian ALPA pilots continue flying Part 121 operations past age 65, while U.S. members are forced out.·
Unethical: it violates ALPA’s own code of ethics and policy manuals.·
Unrepresentative: it fails the union’s legal and moral duty of fair representation for all members.
Instead of supporting safety and fairness, ALPA continues to spend money to protect its own political position. Next week, ALPA will appear at the ICAO Assembly in Montreal to oppose raising the age—despite the fact that doing so addresses many of the industry’s greatest challenges: pilot shortages, loss of cockpit mentorship, and erosion of safety culture.
EPAS will also ensure that at the ICAO Assembly our expertise and viewpoint is included in the deliberations. As subject matter experts, we will advocate directly for the U.S. position to align with international standards and uphold safety through experience, not arbitrary limits.ALPA has chosen politics over principle. EPAS stands firm that raising the pilot retirement age is the right solution—for safety, fairness, and the future of global aviation.
EPAS Leadership Team
Contact:info@epaspilot.org | www.epaspilot.org