Editorial: Keep ‘em flying

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.

Under new rules being considered by the Federal Aviation Administration, commercial airline pilots would be allowed to fly until age 65, rather than being required to retire at age 60 as current rules mandate.

Under the FAA proposal announced Tuesday, one member of the flight crew still would have to be younger than 60.

The agency says that raising the mandatory retirement age to 65 would place U.S. regulations in step with a rule adopted in November by the International Civil Aviations Organization, an arm of the United Nations. That rule allows foreign pilots to fly in the United States until they are 65, provided that they pass a medical examination every six months and are accompanied by a co-pilot who is younger than 60.

According to the Associated Press, the FAA conducted an online survey last year that asked airline, labor and medical experts whether the age limit should be increased. The group did not reach a consensus, AP reports. Those who favored the measure said no medical evidence shows that older pilots are unsafe. Opponents have said that the safety impact of raising the age limit has not been adequately analyzed.

Even pilots unions are split on the issue. The Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents 60,000 pilots in the United States and Canada, and the Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots for American Airlines, oppose raising the age limit, saying that safety considerations should be paramount. The Southwest Airline Pilots Association, however, supports raising the limit.

We agree that safety must come first, but the current limit seems arbitrary. After all, surgeons and other professionals whose jobs involve the safety of the public routinely work beyond the age of 60. Pilots should be allowed to keep working as well, as long as they are able to pass the appropriate medical and skills examinations.