The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) believes that single-pilot commercial aircraft operations are not realistic until 2030.
In an interview with Reuters, Andrea Boiardi, EASA's chief operational suitability expert, rejected the idea that commercial aircraft would be operated by a single pilot until 2030. However, he did not rule out the idea that by 2027 it would be approved that some operations can be done with only one pilot in the cockpit.
EASA does not approve flights with a single pilot in the cockpit
It is considered that during the actual flight, at the cruising altitude, there is only one pilot in the cockpit. But in the landing and take-off phases, two pilots are definitely needed. In the history of aviation, most fatal accidents have occurred on landing or takeoff, even with two pilots in the cockpit.
Currently, there are various research projects to assess the feasibility of Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single Pilot Operations (SiPO). These projects will look at pilot workload, pilot error, pilot incapacitation, fatigue, sleep inertia and other critical areas related to SiPO.
One such project is being undertaken by Airbus in collaboration with Cathay Pacific. The goal of this initiative is to develop and test a single-pilot cockpit system for long-haul flights. The Airbus and Cathay Pacific collaboration, as well as other industry efforts, aim to address the growing pilot shortage in the aviation industry. However, the pilots themselves are not convinced that these projects will give the desired results.
We don't want flights with a single pilot in the cockpit either because there have been plane crashes where the lone pilot was overwhelmed or committed suicide (let's not forget the famous cases of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and Germanwings Flight 9525). .