Ted Cruz urges Trump to back older retirement age for pilots

The Republican chair of the Senate Commerce Committee urged President Trump to support international efforts by an airline trade group to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67.

WASHINGTON — The Republican chair of the Senate Commerce Committee urged President Donald Trump to support international efforts by an airline trade group to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67, a move opposed by the Air Line Pilots Association, which says it could increase travel risks.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in a letter first reported by Reuters Sunday, asked Trump to support efforts at this week’s opening of a United Nations aviation meeting in Montreal.

“America should lead on the international stage in support of raising, or even abolishing, the pilot retirement age,” said Cruz, who leads the Senate panel overseeing aviation issues. He added current policy is “forcing thousands of highly qualified and experienced pilots into early retirement every year.”

In 2024, Congress rejected a push to raise the mandatory airline pilot retirement age to 67 from 65. Lawmakers rejected the bid to hike the retirement age after some cited a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, which had called for a scientific and safety analysis before making the decision.

International rules prohibit airline pilots older than 65 from flying international flights, and many countries, including the United States, apply the same rule domestically as well.