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- Congress is working on a bill to reauthorize the FAA for five years.
- One measure could include raising the age pilots need to retire from 65 to 67.
- The FAA warned it needs more data first, while Captain Sully strongly opposed the move.
Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberg and aviation regulators are warning Congress against raising the mandatory retirement age for pilots to 67.
Congress is working on a bill to extend the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration for five years. Last year, it failed to pass a bill before the deadline, which it then temporarily extended to March of this year.
Last July, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would raise the age pilots need to retire from 65 to 67, Reuters reported.
But as Congress works on the reauthorization bill, aviation experts are raising concerns about this potential measure.
On Monday, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker wrote a letter to Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, who sit on the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
"We believe it is crucial to provide the agency an opportunity to conduct research and determine mitigations," Whitaker wrote, per Reuters.
"We strongly encourage preceding that type of change with appropriate research so that the FAA can measure any risk associated with that policy and define appropriate mitigations," he added.
During a Senate hearing the next day, Whitaker appeared open to the idea of raising the retirement age, but again cautioned about the need for data first.
Sullenberger — the captain who gained fame following "The Miracle on the Hudson" — was more adamant in his opposition.
"The pilot retirement age should not be raised," he said in a Wednesday X post.
"There are not data to support it, and there are safety and operational issues with raising it," he added.
Pilots aged over 64 aren't allowed to work on international flights. The Regional Airline Association, a trade group for smaller airlines, supports the change according to the Associated Press.
But the Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents 77,000 pilots in the US and Canada, opposes raising the age. It says it wouldn't increase the number of pilots working, per the AP.