Is one pilot enough on the plane?

The pilot shortage is an increasing problem for many airlines. You can make up for the shortage of staff with more training or higher wages. Or lobbying for a rule change in the cockpit. Accordingly, in the future, wide-body aircraft will also need to be steered by a single pilot, at least temporarily, or even completely.

There is already progress in this direction both in Europe and the USA. In the US, a corresponding amendment to the law is already before Congress. But the first step is about cargo flights. Meanwhile, in Europe, aviation safety authority Easa has launched a feasibility study that should clarify by mid-2024 whether a pilot in the cockpit is sufficient.

Supports some project

“Although Baal is not directly involved in the development of the new regulation, we support this project,” Christian Schubert, spokesman for the Federal Civil Aviation Administration (Balz), said when asked by Blick. Studies have progressed considerably for a concept where the cockpit crew is reduced to a single pilot during long flights and flight phases where the workload is low. Should Easa change the rules, Switzerland will automatically adopt the rules on the basis of a bilateral air transport agreement with the EU.

Planes that can be flown by a single pilot are common. “Single pilot operation” (SPO) is mainly used for helicopters and small jets. Commercially operated large aircraft are certified for operation with two pilots.

Fewer pilots will be needed in the future, not just technological advances. Especially in emergencies, decision-making and management processes should be rethought. Only then can large jets be certified for reduced piloting operations.

Pilots doubt the meaning of the project

According to Easa, this could become a reality as early as this decade, or even as early as 2027. Schubert ensures that airline stakeholders and trade union umbrella organizations are involved.

But in Switzerland, the pilots are not involved. At least the ECA pilots association can have a say at the European level.

However, the pilots’ view is clear: “The program is too hasty and the project itself is questionable,” explains Thomas Steffen, spokesperson for the Swiss pilots association Aeropers. From his point of view, it’s all about saving money and staff. “If you want to improve flight safety, you need to better support pilots in their work and not change them.”

major security concerns

On the one hand, there are technical security concerns. If the pilot fails, an airplane should be able to land safely on its own. “At the moment, even cars cannot reliably self-propagate,” Steffen says. Today, “automatic landings” are already being made at a time when visibility is very poor. Only the installation is automatic. Pilots must carefully monitor the process and manually open the landing flaps and landing gear, for example. And if the weather conditions are too harsh, you still have to descend entirely by hand.

How about a remote control from the ground? “From our point of view this is not an option because there is a risk of abuse,” explains Steffen. If it is possible to take control of a passenger plane from the ground, there is a risk that unauthorized persons will hijack the plane. “I wouldn’t get on a plane like this,” says Steffen.

The psychological component persists even when technical barriers are overcome. Do passengers feel safe on a plane with only one pilot?

This may apply for short trips. In addition, even if there are two pilots on the plane, there is no absolute safety. This was demonstrated in the Germanwings case in 2015, where the co-pilot locked the pilot after using the toilet, deliberately causing the plane to crash.