Why airlines should keep veteran pilots in the skies for longer
When boarding a flight, nothing gives me a greater sense of comfort than glimpsing a shock of white hair through the cockpit door. Older pilots do it better. We should support the proposal of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to raise the global mandatory retirement age for pilots to 67 from the current, frightfully youthful, 65. A final decision on the proposal will be announced at the meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montréal, which begins today. The ICAO raised the cap from 60 in 2006, citing advances in medical screening, healthcare and longevity. Almost 20 years on, the debate has returned as the industry faces staff shortages and carriers struggle to keep up with growing air-travel demand.
Two of North America’s largest pilot organisations oppose the change, citing studies that have found increased health risks and a decline in cognitive function with age. Yet pilot performance speaks for itself. Since the cap was raised in 2006, there has been little proven negative effect on aviation safety. Some are wary of shifting the retirement age in aviation any further because pilots at the top of their game are expensive. As in all industries, removing those in higher-paid positions makes career progression easier for younger – and cheaper – pilots. It also makes the churn more predictable for airlines and recruitment simpler. But that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Do you, as a passenger, want to see a young buck in the cockpit of your widebody aircraft?
At the beginning of the month, a plane carrying the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, suffered GPS jamming as a result of suspected Russian interference. The pilot decided to land manually, using paper maps after losing satellite operations. In 2009, Chesley B Sullenberger III safely landed a passenger plane on the Hudson river following a bird strike. Though both of these pilots were under the age of 65 at the time, their accumulated flying hours and experience contributed to their quick thinking. Old-school skills are exactly what is needed at a time when the aviation industry appears to be plagued by technological faults and GPS jamming. Tom Cruise made the point this year in his final Mission: Impossible film by saving the world in a classic Stearman biplane. Sadly, the 63-year-old Cruise also stands to lose his licence in two years’ time. Nobody wants that.
As the debate intensifies ahead of the ICAO’s decision, cool heads in management – as in cockpits – must prevail. Rather than nailing retirement to a specific age, the industry should focus on the operational safety performance of individual pilots, no matter their years.
Tom Webb is Monocle’s deputy head of radio. For more on everything from aviation to global affairs, subscribe to Monocle today.
