Flight crew members may be the subject of permanent unfitness for work alone, or permanent unfitness for work recognised by the CMAC to be attributable to the airline, or furthermore recognised as suffering from occupational accident or invalidity by Social Security.

The CMAC sends the CRPN the permanent unfitness for work decision. The CRPN then informs the employee of his entitlements by post.

What is the impact on my CRPN career?

Permanent unfitness for work puts an end to the flying career. From the date of the permanent unfitness for work, the flight crew member is no longer authorised to work as flight crew.

For all that, the contractual link with the employer may continue and the employment contract in the capacity of flight crew member may not be immediately modified or terminated on the date of the permanent unfitness for work.

Processing of days and salaries in case of permanent unfitness for work:

• Days: the number of days validated in the career and counted for the CRPN pension is drawn up on the day before the permanent unfitness for work decision,
• Salaries: Until the employment contract is terminated or modified, the pay elements paid to the flight crew member are subject to CRPN contributions. These pay elements after the permanent unfitness for work are validated in the CRPN career, without related day.

For further information, you can view the notice “Permanent unfitness for work: how to treat subsequent days and wages” (Downloads page, section Employers / Specific Topics, where you will find an example).

What is the impact on my pension entitlements?

In some cases, permanent unfitness for work enables early liquidation of CRPN pension entitlements, without discount, provided that the cessation of flight crew activity counted by the CRPN is linked to the permanent unfitness for work, in compliance with Article R6527-24 of the French transport code. The occupational physician of the CRPN may be consulted to verify this condition.

Entitlements may thus be liquidated for permanent unfitness for work alone, for permanent unfitness for work recognised by the CMAC to be attributable to the airline, or for permanent unfitness for work with recognition of occupational accident or invalidity by Social Security.

1.Permanent unfitness for work alone

Entitlement to a pension without discount is open to the member declared permanently unfit to practise his profession by the CMAC from the date of permanent unfitness for work, provided that he fulfils simultaneously on that date:

• an age condition (50),
• A condition of length of affiliation to the CRPN (20 years of affiliation) or a number of validated annual contributions, currently at least 20 years (new provision which applies from 1^st November 2023).

The entitlement is immediate on the date of permanent unfitness for work if the above two conditions are fulfilled. Otherwise, the entitlement is deferred to the age of 50, provided that the condition of length of affiliation is fulfilled on the 50^th birthday, or to the date on which the condition of length of affiliation is verified if this is after the age of 50.

Thus:

• If the flight crew member is declared permanently unfit after his 50^th birthday, if the condition of length of affiliation of 20 years is not fulfilled on the date of the permanent unfitness for work, the entitlement is deferred to the date on which the condition of affiliation is met, no later than the age of 60,
• If the flight crew member is declared permanently unfit before his 50^th birthday, the entitlement is deferred to the age of 50 at the earliest if, on that date, he fulfils the condition of 20 years of affiliation to the CRPN. If this condition is not fulfilled on the date of his 50^th birthday, the entitlement is deferred to the date on which the condition of affiliation is met, no later than the age of 60.

For these regulatory provisions to apply, the cessation of work of the flight crew member must be linked to the permanent unfitness for work.

2.Permanent unfitness for work + attributability to the airline

Entitlement to a pension without discount is open to the member declared permanently unfit for work, without condition of age or duration of career, where the following condition is fulfilled:

• The flight crew member was contributing to the CRPN when the cause of his permanent unfitness for work occurred.

For these regulatory provisions to apply, the cessation of work of the flight crew member must be linked to the permanent unfitness for work.

The CMAC sends the CRPN the decision of attributability of the permanent unfitness for work. The CRPN then informs the flight crew member by post of his new pension and lump sum compensation entitlements.

3.Permanent unfitness for work + Social Security occupational accident

Entitlement to a pension without discount is open to the member declared permanently unfit for work and furthermore recognised as having suffered from an occupational accident by Social Security from the date of the permanent unfitness for work decision, without condition of age or duration of career, where the following conditions are fulfilled:

• The occupational accident led to the permanent unfitness for work,
• The flight crew member was contributing to the CRPN when the accident occurred.

For these regulatory provisions to apply, the cessation of work of the flight crew member must be linked to the permanent unfitness for work.

If you are in this situation, you must send the CRPN the Social Security notification recognising the occupational accident or the notification of award of occupational accident benefit from Social Security.

4.Permanent unfitness for work + Social Security invalidity

Entitlement to a pension without discount is open to the member declared permanently unfit for work and furthermore recognised as suffering from invalidity by Social Security from the date of the permanent unfitness for work decision, without condition of age or duration of career, where the following condition is fulfilled:

• The flight crew member was contributing to the CRPN when the causes of the unfitness and the invalidity occurred.

For these regulatory provisions to apply, the cessation of work of the flight crew member must be linked to the permanent unfitness for work.

If you are in this situation, you must send the CRPN the Social Security notification recognising the invalidity or the notice of award of invalidity benefit. If these notices are out-of-date, you may be asked for an updated document.

NB: in all cases of liquidation for permanent unfitness for work set out by this regulatory article, when the pension entitlements are liquidated before the age of 55, activation of the supplement is deferred to the age of 55. This activation is automatic, with the need for the retired flight crew member to claim it.

What is the effect on the calculation of my pension entitlements?

No CMAC attributability decision

The pension entitlements liquidated without discount in situations 1, 3 or 4 described in the part “What is the impact on my entitlements” are calculated on the basis of the CRPN career. The flight crew member can refer to the online notice of entitlements for an estimate of these, while his entitlements are not liquidated, in his personal space.

Permanent unfitness for work recognised as attributable by the CMAC

Provided that the cessation of activity of flight crew member counted by the CRPN is linked to the permanent unfitness for work, the CRPN may pay:

A pension

The pension entitlements liquidated without discount in situation 2 (permanent unfitness for work + attributability to the airline) are calculated on the basis of the actual career, increased free of charge by additional annuities (within the limits laid down by Articles R6527-25 et R6527-26 of the French transport code). If annuities can thus be added free of charge, the calculation of the pension is the increased accordingly.

A lump sum

This lump sum is defined by Articles R6511-25 and R6526-3 à 5 of the French transport code.

You will find the terms of its calculation in the notice Application for attributability or non-attributability to the airline, and on the page I am an employee / insurance benefits.

What do I submit to the CRPN?

The pension application

Terms

The application for liquidation of entitlements must be submitted within the regulatory periods by the member, online in his personal space, section Online applications.

Otherwise, it may be done by signed letter, and sent as attachment to the contact form, section Help and contact of this website, or by post to the CRPN.

On receipt of the application, the CRPN will send a form to be completed. The completed form is then presented to the pensions committee for agreement. As a general rule, the pensions committee meets twice a month.

Timeframes

For liquidation on the date of the permanent unfitness for work

• The application must reach the CRPN within 6 months following the permanent unfitness for work, to take effect on the date of the permanent unfitness for work. Otherwise, the pension will take effect on the 1^st day of the month following receipt of the application by the CRPN,
• In case of permanent unfitness for work with invalidity or occupational accident, the pension application must be submitted within a period of 6 months from the generating event (depending on the case, the generating event is the permanent unfitness for work decision, the recognition of invalidity or the recognition of occupational accident). Otherwise, the pension will take effect on the 1^st day of the month following receipt of the application by the CRPN,
• In the case of attributability to the airline, the application form for liquidation of the pension entitlements and the pension application form are sent to the member on receipt of the attributability decision of the CMAC by the CRPN.

For liquidation at the age of 50 or on the date of 20 years since first affiliation

The application must reach the CRPN no later than the month preceding your 50^th birthday (or the date of 20 years after first affiliation to the CRPN).

Otherwise, the pension will take effect on the 1^st day of the month following receipt of the application by the CRPN.

The application for attributability or non-attributability

The CRPN insurance covers the risk of permanent unfitness for work recognised attributable to the airline by the CMAC (and the death in air accident in service or recognised attributable to the airline by the CMAC).

It is incumbent upon the member declared permanently unfit for work to assess whether it is in his interest to submit an application for examination with a view to a decision of attributability or non-attributability, notably in respect of the insurance policies he may have contracted elsewhere. This request for examination of the case with a view to such decision is optional.

If the member wishes to follow this route, he must inform the CMAC thereof, and the CRPN in parallel, and constitute 2 application files to enable the CMAC to rule on the attributability or non-attributability:

• A medical record sent directly to the CMAC,
• An administrative form to the CRPN: To do this, the member informs the CRPN in writing of his application for attributability or non-attributability of the permanent unfitness for work. In the light of the supporting documents sent by the flight crew member, the CRPN draws up a reconstitution of career for the CMAC.

The CMAC meets once a month to rule on applications for attributability in view of the administrative and medical records and to make its decisions of attributability or non-attributability.

After the Decision of the CMAC

The CRPN receives the decisions made by the CMAC.

If the CMAC recognises the attributability to the airline of the permanent unfitness for work, the CRPN pays (after production of the documents required) a lump sum and a monthly pension (cf. chapter The pension application above)

If the CMAC does not recognise the attributability: the flight crew member is informed by the CRPN by post of his entitlements in the scheme.

Summary table of the entitlements in case of permanent unfitness for work