Grey army

Pilots: Asia’s airlines still need you when you’re 64

Old age catches up with all of us but it seems the day that brings blissful retirement is getting further away for one group of whitecollar workers.

The pilot flying you to your destination in the world’s big jets is more and more likely to be beyond what most of us would regard as the normal time to down tools. Japan recently became the latest country in Asia to raise the age limit for its pilots to 67, a move aimed at solving a growing shortage of cockpit crew. It is the second time in a decade it has done so, after lifting the age limit from 62 to 65 in 2004.