European airliners could be operating with just one pilot at the controls as soon as 2027, if moves by aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Dassault are successful.
But the trouble with just one pilot is that it really means it’s possible to fly with no pilots, using autonomous technology.
The boss of Airbus, Christian Scherer, confirmed this when talking to the Sunday Times earlier this year when asked about single pilot operations.
“Technologically, it is feasible,” he said. “And bear in mind if you go to a one-man cockpit, you might as well go to a zero-man cockpit. Because it all needs to cater for the eventuality that this one guy just ate a bad oyster and is incapacitated and the aeroplane has to take over. So one pilot or zero pilot is effectively the same thing.”
Flight of an Airbus A350 which taxied, took off and landed itself with the two pilots standing by
Airbus has already flown an A350 at its Toulouse base with the two pilots effectively passengers, as the aircraft taxied, took off and landed by itself. Another technology called DragonFly which automatically takes over if the pilot is incapacitated has also been successfully tested by Airbus.
However, there is mighty pushback against the idea of single pilot ops.
The European Cockpit Association (ECA) has launched a new website OneMeansNone.eu to inform passengers about the significant safety risks.
BALPA, the ECA and others are campaigning against single pilot ops
Captain Otjan de Bruijn, ECA President, said, “One pilot in the cockpit during an extensive period of a flight is a gamble with the safety of our 200 to 400 passengers in the back of the plane and those on the ground.
“Pilots do not just fly a plane – we monitor each other and all flight aspects, manage aircraft automation and swiftly address any safety, security or operational risks in a very complex and fast-changing environment.
“As a pilot, I am convinced that single pilot flights are an inherently dangerous concept driven solely by the commercial interests of manufacturers and airlines.”
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is currently evaluating the safety implications of the Airbus/Dassault proposal for ‘extended Minimum Crew Operations’ (eMCO) submitted by those manufacturers. If approved, it would lead to one pilot leaving the flight deck for several hours during the cruise phase of the flight, while the other remains at the controls.