The Air Line Pilots Association is fighting a decision by Canadian airline WestJet to prohibit pilots older than age 65 from flying.
In a statement provided to AirlineGeeks, ALPA said that, should the policy take effect Nov. 1, 44 pilots would be “immediately impacted.” That number would grow to approximately 200 pilots over the next five years.
Currently, WestJet allows pilots older than 65 to fly on certain domestic routes within Canada. They cannot operate flights into U.S. airspace because the FAA’s mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots is 65. Canada does not have a universal mandatory retirement age for airline pilots, and the decision is left up to the individual carriers.
ALPA said the WestJet Pilots Master Executive Council filed a formal policy grievance in June and is now gathering information and working with counsel to bolster its case. An arbitrator has been appointed to hear the grievance.
The unionized WestJet pilots have also applied for an interim order that would block the airline from implementing the age cap until arbitration is finished.
“This decision by WestJet management will affect many of their long term dedicated employees that helped build WestJet into the respected airline it is today,” Capt. Bernie Lewall, chair of the WestJet Pilots Master Executive Council, said in a statement. “We believe WestJet should respect its workers and their rights, as protected by the collective agreement, and the Canadian Human Rights Act.”
“WestJet introduced an Age-Restricted Flying Policy, applicable to Pilots, earlier this year due to growing operational and regulatory complexities,” WestJet said in a statement. “The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations do not allow Pilots over age 65 from flying in international airspace including the United States.”
Age caps for commercial airline pilots have generated considerable debate over the last few years. Many countries stick to the ICAO’s standard of 65, but increasingly industry groups and individual pilots are pushing for an upward adjustment, arguing that pilots in their mid-to-late 60s who remain healthy should be allowed to keep their jobs.
An effort spearheaded by the International Air Transport Association to raise the global mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 failed at the ICAO’s summit in Montreal last month.
