Air India has decided to raise the retirement age of its pilots to 65 years from 58 years.
The current retirement rate for flying as well as non-flying staff in Air India is 58. As per the reports, the airline will also increase the retirement age for non-flying staff to 60 years. The announcement, according to sources, was made by Chief Executive Officer and MD Campbell Wilson during a town hall.
With this increase in retirement age, Air India will be aligning its retirement age with the maximum age limit permitted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for commercial pilots.
At present, Air India employs around 24,000 people, including about 3,600 pilots and 9,500 cabin crew. The new policy will see the pilots being able to serve at Air India for an extra seven years while also extending the service age of non-flying staff by two years.
According to reports, the move was likely made to soothe brewing discontent over the issue within the pilot community. Before its merger with Air India, the retirement age for Vistara was 65 years. Following Vistara becoming a part of Air India in November 2024, some pilots were reportedly unhappy about the disparity in the offered retirement ages.
