Flight delayed due to pilots' age
February 28, 2012, 02:56 pm
A recent flight from London to Warsaw, Poland, on LOT Polish Airlines was grounded after officials discovered both pilots on board were older than 60. The plane was grounded at Heathrow Airport, and passengers waited five hours for a reserve pilot to be flown in from Poland to replace the aging pilots.
Aviation inspectors said both pilots were in violation of international air regulations for flying a plane past the age of 60. In 2006, the International Civil Aviation Authority decided all pilots older than 60 must be paired with a pilot younger than 60 when flying. Normally the airlines' crew scheduling system would issue a warning if both of the pilots were older than 60 prior to the flight taking off. The crew roster for the flight, however, was not complete until shortly before takeoff. Thus, the airline was unable to stop the flight, and had to ground the plane to remove the pilots.
The airlines provided the 70 passengers on board the flight with food and drink while they waited to continue their travels. The flight was supposed to leave at 10:35 p.m., but took off for Poland officially at 3:45 a.m.
According to the Global Post, a similar incident happened last year in Germany. Three pilots challenged Germany in court after being fired once they turned 60 and were deemed unfit to fly. The European Court ruled that 60-year-old pilots should not be banned from the cockpit, but they must be accompanied by another pilot younger than 60.
In the United States, pilots are forced to retire at age 65, but the age of the pilots is less of a concern globally than other flight hazards. For example, the British Airline Pilots Association reported 43 percent of its pilots have admitted to falling asleep while flying an aircraft. In fact, a Frontier Airlines flight was recently delayed out of Omaha, Nebraska, when a pilot was suspected of trying to fly a plane under the influence of alcohol, the source reported.
Three years ago, a plane crashed in upstate New York, killing 49 people. The cause of the crash was linked to possible pilot fatigue. Officials discovered the co-pilot was receiving a very low salary and was forced to live with her family in Seattle, enduring a cross-country commute to keep her job. Spending long hours traveling, the co-pilot was always tired, which could have led to the accident, The Daily Mail reported.
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