Japan lifts pilot age limit to 67

A very good decision. I'd take a flight with an "old fart" (as opposed to a young hotshot) pilot on any day. The oldest aviation proverb is that there are old pilots and there are bold pilots.

It's alright so long their pension benefits are fully secured.

i wonder if theyll have there salaries cut in half since there over the retirement age, as with many J companies. if your skilled/experienced and can prove that your physically and mentally fit then why shouldnt you be able to continue flying. my father has his pilots licence and loves flying, unfortunalety due to a heart operation many years ago it would be very difficult for him to pass his medical to renew his licence. so now he just goes up with friends as a passenger.

67 is not old. 77 is.

Increasing the age limit for Commercial Airline Pilots should have no effect on aviation safety because the benefit of experience in the cockpit may offset the potential for health related issues. But only one pilot should be 65 years and the other pilot under 60. However to definitely determine whether advancing age presents as added risk to flight safety because of cognitive or neurophysiological changes or sudden incapacitation due to medical condition, one would need data for a large cohort of commercial pilots under age 60 and a similar cohort of commercial pilots age 60 or older to compare their respective flying records over a period of years.

I think there is no problem with this on a few conditions. 1) There was no good reason why they had to retire by 65. If there IS some reason -- ie. they pose a serious threat -- then it should not be another law that is changed for convenience like so many here are. Since they said that's not a problem, then I can't see why it would be. 2) They aren't 'retired' at 65 but still working full-time at half the pay, as is often the case at companies these days more than ever. 3) It may not be fair, but they should have to submit to more frequent eye-tests than younger people. But that needn't necessarily be from 65, but could be from 60 (if not already).

Another good reason not to use a Japanese airline. Give me Air NZ, Singapore or Cathay any day.

Igloo should try Korean or Asiana?? I feel 10 thousand times safer and happier with JAL or ANA.

This is good. Today's 60s are too young to retire. Experienced pilots of age 60s who clear health check should be the major force at work place not only cockpits but also everywhere.

Japan lifts pilot age limit to 67

As long as they pass a rigorous health and safety check I have no problem with this

As long as the pilots are doing this because they want to do it, and not because for airlines to make more money they cut pilot benefits and for them to receive full retirement, they're forced to work a few more years.

I know pilots for western carriers have given up so much because the airlines basically forced them into accepting half-pay, half-pension, etc in the guise of saving of the airline after 9/11.

Being a pilot is one hard gig. Its not all auto-pilot.

You commenters are crazy. A 67 year old flying a commercial plane? Are their reflexes checked?

@igloobuyer: exactly!

To think that they're doing this because there's a shortage? I won't be flying any Japanese airline soon. Crap. I guess that means I'm stuck here waiting for Abe to apologize.

This is ludicrous.

First a shortage of babies. Shortage of young people. Now a shortage of pilots?

Older can mean more experienced, to be sure...it can also mean a bunch of mentally absent-minded pilots in charge of our lives. No thank you.

Dementia @30 thousand feet? Naw. No thanks.

Why don't they just retire and play gateball all day. Or take up fishing?

it can also mean a bunch of mentally absent-minded pilots in charge of our lives. No thank you. well if you new anything about aviation, first world countries have very strict medicals that need to be passed before you can be certified to fly. there is no scientific proof that a 30+ yr old pilot is safer than a 60+ yr old. when it comes to midair emergencies id take the more experienced pilot anyday.

“The training is so expensive and a lot of (airlines) are paying retirement to pilots as well. If you start flying at 30 years old, you only have them for 35 years,” said Ronald Bishop, head of the aviation program at Australia’s Central Queensland University.

This is complete BS! A training that does not provide ROI before 35 years of employment…??? Let me laugh!

Of course there is no scientific proof. Just gotta' draw the line somewhere. Ever watch Mayday on Natgeo channel? Air disasters, based on true events. Some of which a 67 yr old pilot could not physically overcome imminent thresholds.

As everyone knows, pilots rarely really do anything other than monitor and take action in emergencies. Why not switch the 65 year old to the co-pilot seat and let the co-pilot be the pilot. It could be the best training and there is no cost increase for the airline.

@noriyosan73 That's a real good idea, having over 65 years old to work on the co-pilot seat! That will be great OJT opportunity for younger main pilots.

Aviation is actually one of the master - students world. Following is off the topic.

JAL123 that went down in 1985, the Captain of the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet was Mr. Takahama, a veteran of JASDF, trained by an ex Imperial Japanese Navy Zero fighter pilot who served JASDF after the war. That Zero fighter pilot's instructing officer during WW2 was the IJN officer Takeo Kurosawa, a Zero fighter acewho happened to be a village head of Ueno-mura where Takahama's 747 went down when it went down. Kurosawa did the tremendous work to pick up all borns of the victims of JAL 123 as the grand master of Takahama, taking care of the accident happened on his grand-child pilot.

Design reliable self flying planes and let pilots retire between 50 and 100 as they wish.

Why not switch the 65 year old to the co-pilot seat and let the co-pilot be the pilot. It could be the best training and there is no cost increase for the airline.

That would be awesome, it'll be like, "Hark my young falcon! the clouds today are especially deceptive."

25osot - Planes already are 99% flown by instruments. Maybe the pilots' association doesn't want this secret to be known. If a pilot hasn't financially prepared for retirement after flying 777s, the he/she is incompetent and should retire. Bad decisions in personal life can result in bad decisions in the seat. The salaries are going to be paid, why not do the switch? Bossu - a co-pilot in a 777 is NOT a "young falcon" and probably has more training and flight hours than all the commenters here.

Planes can be flown like US Military UAV via satellite communication link and take off and landing could be done on site control at the airport. The problem is hacking of system which is possible in which no airliner or government would take responsibility of. It's basically the same as automatic driving that all had heard about.