The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee is believed to have considered a possible amendment to its comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill that would extend the age 65 limits on airline pilots to certain Part 91K/135 operations, according to knowledgeable sources that spoke to AIN on condition of anonymity. As originally discussed, such a limit would apply to operations that have 100,000 flights or more a year, affecting primarily NetJets.  

The age 65 rule is believed among the topics discussed during a meeting that is said to have been held either late this spring or in early June between the committee and NetJets executives. NetJets declined to comment on the issue, referring AIN to the committee.

A committee spokesman responded, “Throughout the process, the committee has held over 150 meetings with stakeholders and many members about various issues, priorities, and requests,” and it remained unclear where the process for amendments might end up.

The committee has been assembling what one person termed a “whopper of a manager’s amendment” that includes numerous provisions—possibly even one involving the trucking industry—as T&I chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania) works to build support for the FAA bill that also includes the controversial air traffic control privatization proposal.

A change to the age 65 rule, however, would draw opposition from operators that rely on older pilots as younger ones gets pulled into Part 121 airlines seeking to meet the new 1,500-hour pilot requirement, one Washington insider indicated, expressing a concern that what is believed to be a labor issue could open the door to a regulation that could push down eventually to other operators.

The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots noted NetJets endorsed the FAA reauthorization bill earlier this month, leading to “widespread speculation across the industry.” NJASAP declined to comment on that support, saying such a move would be irresponsible. But the union noted its own backing of measures in the bill to revise 60-year-old duty and rest rules for Part 135 operators and prohibiting the approval of additional "flags of convenience schemes" in the industry. “These initiatives are at the top of our priority list, and we are very encouraged both are included in the Act,” the union said.

But NJASAP stressed the union “is not engaged in implementing or supporting an age restriction for Part 135 operators.”