An airline captain who has been flying for more than 40 years has begun a legal challenge to rules that force commercial pilots to fold their wings for good once they reach 65.
Wayne Bayley, who was the first to fly the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from the UK to Barbados, was forced to retire from TUI Airways last January after clocking up nearly 26,000 flying hours.
Captain Bayley’s lawyers are seeking a judicial review of Civil Aviation Authority rules stipulating that UK-registered pilots must retire at 65. Australia and Canada have no upper limit.
The legal team will claim in the High Court that the enforced retirement age is arbitrary and constitutes age discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. They say that advances in