A committee vote was blocked last month by the disagreement over pilot training. The Senate is behind schedule on its version of the aviation measure, which would authorize more than $100 billion in spending. United Airlines, with a major operation at farther-out Dulles Airport, lobbied against the increase in flights at National. Opponents said the airport is already too congested and that adding more flights would lead to more delays. Flights to and from the airport are generally limited to 1,250 miles. Delta Air Lines pushed for the increase, joined by lawmakers from cities hoping to get nonstop service to the airport near downtown Washington. The House rejected an effort to increase the number of long-haul flights at Reagan Washington National Airport. But opponents including pilot unions said the change would undermine safety.Ī provision raising the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots from 65 to 67 survived despite opposition from pilot groups. Smaller airlines lobbied for the change, saying it would ease a pilot shortage that is already causing a loss of service to smaller communities. Lawmakers voted 243-139 to remove a provision that would have allowed more flight simulator hours to be credited toward the 1,500-hour in-flight requirement to become an airline pilot. The House approval came after a string of votes on contentious issues.

The two chambers will have to reconcile differences or else approve a short-term extension of existing FAA programs by then.

The Senate is working on its version of the bill ahead of the Oct. It passed on a mostly bipartisan vote of 351-69. The measure seeks to improve air travel, which has been plagued by delays and cancellations during its busiest times, and would reauthorize FAA programs for the next five years.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration would get more money to hire air traffic controllers and the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots would be raised under a bill approved Thursday by the House.

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