Proposals for commercial aeroplanes to operate with just one pilot in the cockpit have been put on ice after a report for the European regulator suggested it would make flying more dangerous.
A three-year research project into “extended minimum crew operations” commissioned by the EU Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) found that despite advances in technology there was not sufficient evidence that flying with a single pilot could be as safe as with the two currently required.
The verdict has been welcomed by pilots’ groups, which had campaigned against potential changes to the rules.
Although airlines and manufacturers have not publicly argued for fewer pilots, the current cockpit design and regulations on maximum flying times mean three or four are required on long-haul flights.
The report for Easa concluded that with fewer crew “an equivalent level of safety [with] the current two-crew operations cannot be sufficiently demonstrated”. That applied even to scenarios where two pilots were in the cockpit for take-off and landing but a co-pilot could rest as an aircraft cruised on autopilot.
The Easa report said: “Development of cockpit technology and further research will be needed before exploring the feasibility of such operational concepts.”
It highlighted issues such as “pilot incapacitation monitoring, fatigue and drowsiness, sleep inertia” as well as the cross-checks carried out by two pilots working together.
The report alluded to a longer-term potential “smart cockpit” taking over more of the pilots’ workload, with technology to monitor human alertness, that “may have the potential to set the basis for new operational concepts”, but it said this would also need “a solution to prevent security threats”.
The security of the cockpit has been difficult to resolve: reinforced doors were introduced after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 to prevent entry. However, in the 2015 Germanwings plane crash the co-pilot used the locked door to keep the captain away from the flight deck.
The European Cockpit Association, representing pilot unions across Europe, said the report was a “reality check” and welcomed it as independent validation of its safety concerns. It had warned in campaigns that aircraft manufacturers and airlines were pushing for flights with only one pilot at the controls.
A spokesperson said: “The reality is that manufacturers and avionics developers remain deeply engaged in advancing technologies aimed at removing one pilot from the cockpit. This Easa study offers a clear reality check on the safety case. While the conclusions confirm and reinforce our existing concerns, the underlying motivations behind the push for reduced crew operations are still very much present.”
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it was “constantly looking for ways to improve and advance its range of products to enhance safety, efficiency and performance”.
A spokesperson added: “For the foreseeable future, this means having a well-rested and competent human pilot in command of a robust and flexible system, including appropriate automation. We believe that pilots will remain at the heart of operations and that automation can play a crucial role by assisting them in the cockpit and reducing workload.”
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Easa said there was no timeline in place for changing the rules. A spokesperson said the agency had always considered single-pilot operations “extremely complex and not foreseeable in the next decade”.
It said a smart cockpit “might have the potential to set the basis for new operational concepts such as extended minimum crew operations. However, any consideration of this will depend on the new technologies first proving their safety benefit … when applied in the current two-pilot operations.”
The Easa report was published in the wake of the Air India crash, which has cast new fears over aviation safety and the role of the pilots in preventing or contributing to accidents.
Martin Chalk, an ex-BA pilot and formerly the general secretary of the pilots’ union Balpa, said: “Having two pilots obviously did not stop the Air India crash – but if this is a human factors issue, a single pilot is certainly not going to help. And if there are concerns from a mental health point of view, spending more time alone in the cockpit is the worst thing you could do.”
A spokesperson for Iata, the global airlines trade body, said it did “not see significant demand or momentum toward single-pilot operations in commercial aviation”, adding: “Aircraft flying today were designed and certified for two-pilot operations. Many of these aircraft will remain in service for the next 25 years, reinforcing the continued relevance of the two-pilot model.”
