July 26, 2023
Not Worth the Risk: Congress Must Resist Efforts to Weaken Key Air Safety Regulations
Capt. Jason Ambrosi: Raising the retirement age for pilots puts America’s aviation system at risk
Flying has never been safer in the United States. Our country’s current approach to aviation safety is clearly working—the U.S. is the gold standard for aviation safety around the world.
Despite this achievement, lawmakers working on the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill are considering introducing new risk and rolling back safety regulations just as passengers are returning to the skies.
Right now, some in Congress are seeking to unilaterally raise the airline pilot retirement age from 65 to 67 without scientific study or safety research. What we do know is that this ill-conceived proposal could introduce more risk into our aviation system, disrupt airline operations, cause more flight delays and cancellations, and increase ticket prices for passengers.
Congress must pass a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill before the current law expires on September 30, 2023. The stakes for air safety couldn’t be higher, as special interests lobby lawmakers for changes to the law that would weaken training requirements and increase the retirement age for airline pilots.
The United States airline industry is currently the gold standard for safety around the world. Maintaining this title should top policymakers’ priority list.
- The danger: Citing a (fake) “pilot shortage,” some in the industry are lobbying lawmakers to weaken pilot training standards and qualifications—regulations that are directly responsible for the United States’ exemplary air safety record. The standard for pilot training since 2010, this lifesaving rule was enacted after a series of other tragic accidents, including Flight 3407, spurred Congress to act and adopt a comprehensive set of requirements to improve training for pilots. Any reduction would erode the important safety standards that the public takes for granted—this must be stopped.
- The reality: There are more than enough pilots to meet current hiring demand, and thousands more are in the training pipeline. Those claiming otherwise are more interested in cutting costs to maximize profits, even by sacrificing passenger safety.
- The system is working: The Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010, which strengthened training requirements and qualifications, is the most effective aviation safety law of this century. Weakening it is a recipe for disaster. Since its implementation, the United States has seen a 99.8 percent reduction in airline fatalities compared to the previous decade. “Before 2010, we as a nation set the safety bar too low. We must never allow this to happen again,” commented ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi at a recent press conference on Capitol Hill.
- We’ve been here before: During the drafting of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, some stakeholders pushed to lower pilot training requirements and qualifications. Thanks to ALPA’s lobbying efforts, those attempts were halted.
- What is happening now: The industry is advancing a similar strategy right now, pushing for a reduction in training hours, the creation of less-safe alternate pathways to becoming a pilot, and raising the pilot retirement age.
- Less safe certifications: Programs to create short-term “certificates” that rapidly churn out pilot certificates rather than creating the best possible pilot.
- Raising pilot retirement age: Some lawmakers are interested in increasing the pilot retirement age from 65 to 67 to solve the fake pilot shortage. This so-called “fix” would not increase pilot numbers, nor would it address flight delays and cancellations. It would, however, introduce additional risks into the system. Learn more.
The bottom line: As Congress continues work on the FAA reauthorization bill, it should have one priority above all others: Any new system or change in procedure or regulation must maintain or improve upon the current level of safety, not erode it.
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