Sen. Lindsey Graham introduces legislation to raise mandatory pilot retirement age to 67

A pilot views a departure board at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

The mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots would be raised to 67 under a proposal by Sen. Lindsey Graham.

To maintain a first class medical certification, pilots over the age of 65 need to have it renewed every six months.

Graham said at the press conference that we have to adjust our age in a reasonable way to keep people in the cockpit. People can travel to 67 and beyond in other countries. This is a bipartisan issue.

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved training and qualification programs for pilots.

The legislation wasn't commented on by the FAA. The compulsory retirement age for airline pilots was raised in 2007.

Early retirement packages were offered by airlines as travel demand waned during the Covid-19 epidemic. There was a wave of retirements before the swine flu hit.

Major U.S. airlines are trying to find ways to get pilots trained quicker. In United's case, they opened a flight training academy to help train more pilots and ease the financial burden on students.

Delta stopped requiring four-year college degrees for its pilots earlier this year. In April, Republic Airways petitioned the U.S. government to allow pilots with less than 1,500 hours of flying time to fly for it. Military pilots are exempt from the 1,500 hour rule.

American Airlines recently announced big pay increases to attract and retain pilots.

It's difficult for airlines to find pilots because of the time and cost of training. A full-time seven-month program at the largest flight school in the country costs about $92,000 for pilots to get their initial license. It can take 18 months or more for a pilot to be able to fly.

At the press conference Monday, Drew Remos, senior director of government affairs with the Regional Airline Association, said that over 70% of airports have lost flights in the last year. He said that nine airports had lost service.

Remos said that the legislation would allow 5,000 pilots to fly over the next two years and help keep communities connected to the air transportation system. Even more relief will be provided as early retirements increase.

The mandatory retirement age of 65 will force thousands of pilots to retire in the next four years.

This article was contributed to by CNBC'sLeslie Josephs.