SPARE Act: Raising the Pilot Retirement Age to 67

A bill in Congress would raise the pilot retirement age to 67 for U.S. commercial airline pilots, up from the current limit of 65, but it has not yet become law. The Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act of 2025 (H.R. 5523) has been introduced in the House and would amend 49 U.S.C. § 44729 to let captains and first officers in multicrew operations keep flying two additional years.¹ Earlier discussions of the same idea sometimes went by the name “SPARE Act,” but the active legislation carries a different title and some of its terms differ from what was previously reported.

What the Bill Would Change

H.R. 5523 targets pilots in multicrew covered operations, primarily scheduled passenger and cargo carriers governed by 14 CFR Part 121.² Both captains and first officers at major and regional airlines would be allowed to fly until age 67 instead of aging out at 65.¹

The reasoning is workforce math. A projected shortage of roughly 4,500 airline pilots in 2026 sits alongside a wave of retirements, training costs above $100,000 per pilot, and stricter FAA hiring standards adopted after several high-profile accidents. Two more years in the cockpit for existing captains buys the industry time to train replacements without cutting schedules.

Medical Certification Requirements

Any pilot over 60 flying for a Part 121 carrier already needs a first-class medical certificate, which expires six months after the exam date. That means twice-yearly visits to an FAA-authorized Aviation Medical Examiner.³ Pilots under 40 with first-class certificates only renew annually.⁴ First-class applicants over 40 also complete an annual electrocardiogram, and abnormal results can trigger follow-up cardiovascular testing.

The bill explicitly states that pilots should not face different or more frequent medical exams solely because of age, unless the FAA Administrator later determines, based on new data or published studies, that additional screening is needed for safety.¹ The existing six-month first-class cycle would continue for pilots over 60, but Congress is not layering on new age-based requirements simply because the ceiling moved to 67. Out-of-pocket cost for the exams runs roughly $100 to $175 per visit, or $200 to $350 a year.

Can Pilots Who Already Retired at 65 Come Back?

Yes, under the bill’s terms. A pilot who is already over 65 on the date the law takes effect could return to service in multicrew operations until age 67.¹ The legislation opens the door to returning aviators rather than grandfathering them out.

The bill also includes a liability shield. Actions taken in compliance with the old age-65 rule, or with the new provisions, cannot serve as the basis for a lawsuit or claim under any federal or state employment law. A pilot pushed into retirement at 65 last year could potentially return, but could not sue the airline for back pay or damages over the earlier retirement. Airlines that enforced the old cutoff and airlines that implement the new one are both protected.

Getting an old seat back is a separate matter. Whether a returning pilot is actually rehired depends on the carrier’s willingness, seniority list rules, and the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. The law would create the legal permission to fly. It would not guarantee anyone a job.

International Flights Would Still Be Capped at 65

This is the boundary most pilots need to know about. U.S. law can raise the domestic retirement age, but it cannot override international aviation standards. The International Civil Aviation Organization sets a maximum age of 65 for pilots in multicrew commercial air transport, and requires that any pilot over 60 serving as pilot-in-command on international flights be paired with a co-pilot under 60.⁵

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency mirrors the ICAO standard, and most other aviation authorities follow the same framework.⁶ A U.S. pilot between 65 and 67 under the new law would be limited to domestic routes unless the destination country has a bilateral agreement recognizing the higher U.S. limit, and few currently do.

ICAO has considered raising its own limit to 67 with a safeguard requiring the other pilot to be under 65. If that change eventually passes, international routes would reopen to older U.S. pilots. Until then, carriers would assign pilots aged 65 to 67 to domestic and regional flying while reserving transoceanic routes for younger crews.

How Union Contracts Affect the Rollout

Federal law does not automatically rewrite labor contracts. If an airline’s collective bargaining agreement sets retirement at 65, that provision stays enforceable until the parties agree to change it. The bill requires that any amendment to a labor agreement or benefit plan needed to conform with the new age limit be negotiated between the carrier and the pilots’ bargaining representative. The government cannot impose it unilaterally.¹

The industry would move to age 67 in patches rather than all at once. Pilots at carriers whose contracts still specify 65 would wait for the next round of negotiations. Some unions may treat the change as a bargaining chip; others may resist because senior pilots staying longer compresses promotion timelines for junior aviators. For a period, pilots at one airline could fly to 67 while pilots at another were still bound by 65.

What Two Extra Years Would Mean for Pensions

Staying in the cockpit longer changes the retirement math. Pilots continue earning salary and building service credit, which can meaningfully increase lifetime pension payouts, particularly for those at the top of the seniority-based pay scale. For pilots whose plans are backed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the 2026 maximum monthly guarantee for someone retiring at 67 is $9,425.62 under a straight-life annuity, or $8,483.06 under a joint-and-50%-survivor annuity.⁷

Most major airline pilots are covered by defined-benefit plans negotiated through their unions, and the specifics vary by carrier. Pilots weighing whether to keep flying should look at whether their plan caps benefits at a certain service level, and weigh the pension bump against health and quality of life.

Where Things Stand in Congress

As of early 2026, H.R. 5523 has been introduced in the House but has not passed either chamber.¹ Prior attempts to raise the pilot retirement age have stalled. Some pilot unions oppose the change because delayed retirements block promotions for junior pilots, and aviation safety advocates argue that age-related medical risks warrant keeping the limit where it is. Supporters point to the pilot shortage and to modern medical screening they say can reliably identify unfit pilots regardless of age.

If the bill passes, implementation will take time. Airlines will need to negotiate contract amendments with their unions, the FAA will need to update its guidance, and carriers will need to sort out scheduling around international restrictions. Pilots currently approaching 65 should watch the bill’s progress closely, because the timing between passage and their retirement date will determine whether they can take advantage of the change.

1
Congress.gov. H.R. 5523 – 119th Congress (2025-2026) – Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act of 2025
2
eCFR. 14 CFR Part 121 – Operating Requirements: Domestic, Flag, and Supplemental Operations
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 44729 – Age Standards for Pilots
4
eCFR. 14 CFR 61.23 – Medical Certificates: Requirement and Duration
5
International Civil Aviation Organization. Proposal to Raise the Multi-Pilot Commercial Air Transport Pilot Age Limit to 67 Years
6
EASA. Age Limitations for Commercial Air Transport Pilots
7
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Maximum Monthly Guarantee Tables