HC Deb 04 November 1998 vol 318 c571W
Mr. Chidgey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to enable United Kingdom-licensed professional pilots to overfly France after the age of 60 years. [58107]

Ms Glenda Jackson

It is the responsibility of individual States to set the age limits of commercial pilots operating in their airspace, subject to relevant international standards.

The current standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation is that contracting States should not permit pilots aged 60 or over to act as pilots in charge of international commercial flights and recommends that they should not be permitted to act as co-pilots. However, States may vary this standard so long as they formally notify the difference to ICAO; other States may then decide whether or not to allow operators operating to the different standard to overfly their airspace.

Member States of the Joint Aviation Authorities, including France and the UK, have agreed common standards, which differ from the ICAO provisions, in a Joint Aviation Requirement on Flight Crew Licensing (JAR-FCL), which is due to be implemented on 1 July 1999. This will enable pilots to operate aircraft up to the age of 65 years either as Pilot-in-Command or Co-Pilot, provided that only one pilot in the crew is 60 or over. It will be for France to decide how to implement JAR-FCL with respect to their airspace.