Will UAE airlines see one-pilot operation as AI-assisted flying takes off?

Passenger planes flying with just one pilot could become a reality — given the rapid development of technology, particularly AI or artificial intelligence, a senior official at Dubai-based Emirates Airlines told Khaleej Times at the inaugural Aviation Future Week on Tuesday.

Adel Al Redha, deputy president and COO of Emirates Airlines, said aviation technology is evolving fast and AI’s predictive capabilities could lead to increased efficiency, airline interoperability, and safety – eventually leading to a reduction in the need for human pilots inside the cockpit.

The subject of reducing the crew from two pilots to one has long been discussed in the airline industry but has come again to the fore following the incident last week of a Turkish Airlines mid-flight. The co-pilot took over the controls and made an emergency landing in New York.

In an earlier incident in 2015, a 57-year old American Airlines pilot collapsed and died during an overnight flight from Phoenix to Boston. The first officer took over and made an emergency. According to US Federal Aviation Administration, two pilots are required to be in the cockpit of a large commercial plane at all times.

Al Redha, however, is confident that AI could allow for planes to fly with just one pilot. He said passenger jets are now equipped with better flight management systems. Tasks that were once done manually by pilots such as plotting courses and monitoring fuel levels are now being done by computers and GPS or satellite-based navigation system.

“There were some incidents but they were exceptions,” noted Al Redha, explaining: “What is happening today is that technology is evolving and AI is helping us. Aircraft manufacturers have put in place a lot of redundancy (or the duplication of system components to increase system efficiency and dependability).”

“I think in the future we can have just one pilot instead of two. It is a possibility; we just need to manage it and deal with it with strong regulations. Protocols will have to change and there should be more technical redundancies to follow up and monitor the aircraft in the air and on the ground,” he underscored.

Earlier, Al Redha noted that AI and the eventual reduction of human pilots in the cockpit could address the predicted pilot shortage in the region.

When asked to give a timeline on reducing the number of human pilots, Al Redha said it will not happen immediately.

“There are several requirements before this can happen,” he said, noting: “We need to deal first with many regulations, particularly those that ensure the safety of passengers and crew.”

Meanwhile, in July this year, the European Cockpit Association (ECA) and some pilots' groups joined forces to challenge the move to have single-pilot flights, “arguing that reducing the crew at any time would gamble with safety on board.”

“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,” said Captain Otjan de Bruijn, ECA President, on their website ‘One Means None’.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), on the other hand, noted “the aviation industry continuously develops technology and automation that improve operational safety and efficiency."

“These technological developments have been shown to improve the aircraft systems’ resilience, and pilot tasks are better supported, increasing thus the overall performance. The industry is currently developing technologies to enable the safe operation of large passenger aeroplanes by a single pilot during the cruise phase of the flight,” the EU safety agency added.