Market Intelligence: -Airline Hiring

North American Airline Pilot Association “Raising Pilot Retirement Age Would Introduce Additional Risk”

The United States based Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, voiced its opposition to any change in the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots.

The pending Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, which would reauthorize funding for the Federal Aviation Administration and aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years, includes an amendment that would raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67.

“Safety considerations drove the establishment of the current international standard of age 65 mandatory retirement, and raising the pilot retirement age would introduce additional risk into commercial aviation,” said APA President Capt. Ed Sicher. “Health concerns such as cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes become more prevalent as we age — something that has been studied extensively and demonstrated by American Airlines’ own data. Approximately one in every three pilots nearing age 65 on our seniority list is on long-term sick or disability, and the rate of illness rises exponentially after age 59. Moreover, extending pilots’ flying careers would prolong our exposure to solar radiation and the debilitating effects of circadian rhythm disruption, which have been shown to shorten our lifespans.

“As for increasing pilot supply, it’s not at all clear how much of a difference this would make,” he said. “While there is no actual pilot shortage, airlines are experiencing bottlenecks in their pilot training pipelines. Raising the retirement age would exacerbate the situation by increasing the number of training cycles as senior pilots are forced back to domestic flying, sometimes on different equipment.”

Raising pilot retirement age would put the United States at odds with the International Civil Aviation Organization, which mandates retirement for pilots in multi-crew operations at age 65. Pilots who are age 65 and older would be unable to fly outside U.S. borders, complicating airlines’ schedule construction. Pilots who are 65 and older would have to be assigned to domestic-only flying, in turn displacing younger, less-senior pilots from those routes and adding to the training backlog.

“Raising pilot retirement age would be ill-advised for a host of reasons, and we urge lawmakers to remove the amendment before approving this legislation,” Sicher said. “There is no sound justification for such a change.”

Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association — the largest independent pilots union in the United States — is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, including several hundred pilots on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces.

Source: Allied Pilots Association Press Release

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Well Known Flag Carrier Launches Low-Hour Pilot Recruitment Initiative

United Kingdom headquartered British Airways launched its Newly Qualified Pilot Pathway (NQPP). This pathway is for Qualified Pilots who have completed their training via a modular or integrated course at any ATO. To be considered, the applicant must meet the following minimum criteria:

  • UK Class 1 flight crew medical – 6 months validity from date of joining
  • An average ATPL Ground School score of 85% and above with no more than three resits (2020 syllabus and previous syllabus accepted)
  • First series pass in both CPL and ME/IR
  • APS MCC
  • aUPRT
  • Must have completed all training and applied for UK Part-FCL licence with CAA
  • No more than three training providers for the following stages of training: Ground School, CPL/IR, APS MCC
    • PPL, hour building and aUPRT is not included in the 3 training provider limit.
  • Training completed no earlier than 1st January 2020
  • Application must include the ATPL Consolidated exam report and flying examiners report for CPL and IR
  • Height will be between 1.57m (5’2″) and 1.91m (6’3″) (height is accurately determined during the assessment process). Qualified pilots who are taller than 1.91m may submit an application but will be required to undergo a functionality check to confirm their ability to meet the requirements of the seating positions in the British Airways fleet of aircraft
  • A good level of physical fitness, and ability to satisfy the British Airways medical requirements
  • ICAO ELP Level 6 proficiency
  • A valid passport (with minimum of 12 months before expiry date at time of joining) allowing unrestricted worldwide travel
  • Tattoos are permissible as long as they are not on the hands, face or head

Applicants may only apply to one airline within the British Airways family (British Airways, Euroflyer, or Cityflyer) at a time.

Closing date is on 31 August 2023.

Successful candidates will join BA Euroflyer on the A320 fleet at London Gatwick and join the British Airways Master Seniority List from date of joining.

Source: British Airways
Photo Credit: British Airways (shown as meta image)

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