Flight Deck Retirement Ages
 

I married to a pilot due to retire (at 60) in two year's time. I am currently doing an MA in Personnel and Development.

In my dissertation I am considering the EU Equal Treatment Framework Directive (2000/78/EC) which requires all EU countries to implement national legislation preventing age discrimination. This has to be implemented in the UK by 1st December 2006.

My particular area of research is the current requirement for pilots to retire at 60 (BA -55?). What approaches are your companies making to this proposed legislation? Have there been any meetings concerning this legislation? Are BALPA/IPA involved in any discussions? Have you been involved as an operating pilot in any discussions concerning retirement ages?

Thanks so much for your replies. I look forward to hearing from you.

Where does it say that pilots have to retire at 60?

I am well past that date and my Company are more than happy for me to carry on until 65.

I simply stay out of France and Italy.

Is he still making you work L? Shame on him.

I am aware that a number of companies are allowing pilots to fly until they are 65. They are of course limited by the intransigence of the French. I am led to believe that scenario may well be modified by domestic French action as they have pension problems of their own there. It will be interesting to see, nevertheless, if they will comply with the EU directive next year.

If I get any useful and reliable/verifiable info I will PM you.

I hope you will get plenty of useful stuff from BB colleagues here.

FW

PS Tell T I will give him a 50 yard start in a zimmer frame race in 2007 and still beat him :ok:

BA has indeed addessed this issue and our flight crews have been told that of as Feb 06 they will be able to remain until 60. The present 55 is contractual to their Pensions, therefore they may still retire at 55. This age change also applies to CC.

Of other concern is the present method of using 'seniority' to appoint / bid for flights / bid lines etc. Under the EU rules that system will be illegal as it is discriminatery.

HZ123 I understand that no one is sure whether "seniority" dependent on time served in a company is unlawful yet.....for instance how would a company decide who is to lose their jobs in the case of forced redundancies?

I'm not sure that seniority could be viewed as discriminatory under the new law because it is based on time served within the company. Many pilots in BA have others senior to them who are, in fact, younger. Any correlation with age applies only between pilots who join on the same day when date of birth is taken as the seniority determinant.

All true....but I know that BA are awaiting the first challenge at a tribunal , probably by a 38 yr old DEP at the bottom of Bidline. (Or a 25 yr old ex cadet that wants to go P/T)

I'm anxious to hear the outcome as we in the US also want to extend our useful life to 65.

Flyrr100

There will be no precedent set for the US by EU legislation! But I thought you already had something similar, judging by the age of American cabin crew arriving at LHR!

HZ123

I am sure you are already aware that "our flight crews" have been told no such thing!

4468

Thats only because the long haul trips go super senior. And, with all the furloughs and layoffs there are only old guys left at the majors!

I'm with a regional. The longest trip I fly is maybe 2 1/2 hours. But I'm home most nights. :)

Flight Deck Retirement Ages
 

Thank you for all your information. My dissertation is nearly in and hope that it will make interesting reading!!

My research has shown that it is going to happen that pilots will be able to retire at 65. ICAO has modified its rule to conform with that of the JAA, i.e. one pilot in a multi-crew can be over 60 but the other pilot must be under
60. These changes will become effective on 23 November 2006.

You might like also to look at the CAA LASORS 2006, Section A9, which states the same thing.

Obviously there will be objections that over 60 pilots can not overfly France, Italy and Portugal. My opinion is that they will have to abide by the EU Directive, which has to be implemented in all EU countries by 1st December 2006.

Any comments on this? I look forward to your replies.

Lah11

In my Company we have Commanders who can contractually fly to 65 as long as they avoid France and Italy. I thought Portugal was only limited to those Commanders with Portuguese licences. If they are EU now I need to check JarOps!:\

lah11, I've downloaded CAA LASORS 2006 and tried to find where in Section A9 the future changes, as you describe them, should be written. I'm not familiar with said document and may easily have missed something but I would appreciate a pointer ?

With my UK charter airline the retirement age is currently 60, but captains can stay on for another two years if they go back to being an F/O.

I haven't heard of any changes in the pipeline regarding late 2006 changes...

PP

In India the retirement age for corporate was 65+. Now it is 65 for the expanding airline industry too!

As mentioned already the condition is that two above 60s cannot fly together....

Private airlines severely short of pilots have welcomed the change. The government union driven airlines refuse to budge as the majority of the work force in these are waiting for career progression.

India just raised to 65 in dec due to acute shortage of Commanders

Just to fly with another Pilot who is not over 60.

When does a Flight Deck retire? When the aircraft is scrapped?

Flight Crew, on the other hand, generally do have retirement dates.

The new directive that says this year you need not retire if you do not wish to do so, I thought was an EU directive enforcable this year. How are France and Italy opting out?

A friend working for the regulator here in the Southern hemisphere recently explained the ICAO changes that become effective in November.

Pilots may continue to fly in command until age 65, provided that another pilot in the crew is under 60.

An ICAO member state may choose to apply more restrictive regulations (i.e. PIC must be less than 60) however it cannot prevent pilots of another ICAO member state (i.e. one which allows pilots to fly until 65) from flying into their airspace and airports. Thus if an Australian PIC who is 64 years old wants to fly into France in an Australian-registered aircraft, and using an Australian licence, then there is nothing the French can do about it.

Sorry I cannot refer you to an ICAO website to confirm this.