§44729 Age standards for pilots

Summary

Pilots may fly as part of a multi‑pilot crew in the covered airline operations until they turn 65. An airline that uses a different kind of covered operation can choose to stop pilots from flying there after age 70 if it gives written notice to the FAA. That choice starts one year after the notice and the airline cannot undo it once it starts. A pilot who is 60 or older can be the pilot‑in‑command on flights between the U.S. and another country only if another pilot on the flight deck is under 60. That rule ends if international rules change to allow 60‑year‑old PICs without that extra pilot requirement. “Covered operations” means either operations under part 121 (major airlines) or certain operators under part 135 that meet three conditions (they hold a part 119 certificate, hold the subpart K management specs under part 91, and did at least 75,000 turbojet operations in 2019 or later). People who were already 60 or older on the date of enactment may keep flying only if they were employed as required flight deck crew that day or are rehired without getting prior seniority or length‑of‑service credit. Pilots 60 and older must hold a first‑class medical certificate that expires six months after the exam. Airlines must keep FAA‑approved pilot training, especially for pilots 60 and up. Any required contract changes for union pilots must be agreed with the pilots’ bargaining representative. Actions taken under this law or the old rule cannot be used as the basis for legal liability. Within 24 months, the Comptroller General must report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on whether the age change affected aviation safety.