US HOUSE and Senate negotiators said on early Monday they have reached a deal to boost air traffic controller staffing and boost funding to avert runway close call incidents, but will not hike the airline pilot retirement age to 67 from 65.

The US House of Representatives in July voted 351-69 on a sweeping bill to reauthorise the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that would hike the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67 but the Senate Commerce Committee had voted in February to reject the retirement age hike.

Congress has extended the authorisation for the FAA as it works to complete a new US$105 billion, five-year deal. The Senate is set to vote this week on the more than 1,000-page bipartisan proposal. REUTERS