One of the United States largest Airline Pilot Union’s – the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association – is said to have run a poll for its members to gauge the sentiment of raising the pilot retirement age from 65 to as high as 67 or 68 fairly shortly.

It is said that Senator Lindsey Graham is in the process of building support for this legislation in the US Congress before formally introducing the bill.

This development comes following the CEO of US Airline Allegiant Air stating one day earlier; “We are facing a chronic scarcity that will last for years given the known retirements and the projected numbers of new pilots entering the system. The numbers suggest by 2030 the industry could have a deficit of almost 30,000 pilots. At 16 pilots per aircraft this will correspond to 1,800 aircraft that will be parked or the equivalent of two US legacy carriers such as American and United”.

The last time the pilot retirement age was raised in the US was 2007 when the US Government raised it from 60 to 65.

You may also check our Terms and Conditions for our Content Policy.