Industry pushes for single-pilot flights
The call for single pilot operated commercial flights is gaining steam.
Having just one pilot in the cockpit is an obvious plus for cost-conscious airlines, despite the safety fears.
More than 40 countries have petitioned the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to set aviation standards to allow single-pilot flights.
These include Germany, the UK and New Zealand.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been collaborating with planemakers to work out how solo pilots could operate flights safely.
EASA says services could begin by 2027.
However, it is not well supported by pilots or the public.
“The people going down this route are not the people who fly jets every day,” Tony Lucas, president of the Australian and International Pilots Association said.
“When things go awry, they go awry fairly quickly.”
“We are potentially removing the last piece of human redundancy from the flight deck,” Janet Northcote, EASA’s head of communications said.
“The psychological barriers are probably harder than the techbarriers,” Boeing South-east Asia president Alexander Feldman recently said.
EASA says sometime after 2030, flying could be automated; allowing planes to be remotely landed if a pilot became unresponsive.
Ray Monty
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt