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Soon it starts: long flights with a single pilot in the cockpit

The corona crisis, which hit airlines hard, led Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airlines to consider a plan to fly long-haul passenger planes using only one cockpit pilot.

In 2025 it should start

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• Pilots

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Sunday, 20 June 2021, 12:01 Updated: 13:56

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Airbus A350 Cathay Pacific (Photo: Cathay Pacific)

Hong Kong's national airline, Cathay Pacific, which has been flying to Israel for years, is aiming to switch to long-haul flights with a "small crew", ie only one cockpit pilot.

This, in its Airbus A350 aircraft.

This is what aviation industry sources told Reuters.

The purpose of the program, known at Airbus as Project Connect, is to approve the A350 aircraft among aviation entities, for the operation of a single pilot on long-haul passenger flights, starting in 2025.

However, there are a number of hurdles to be overcome on the way to international approval.

Once the permit is given, two pilots will be able to stay on the plane, with only one of them in the cockpit, and the other at rest.

To date, two active pilots are required to stay in the cockpit of the aircraft together, out of three or four pilots in total.

This decision, once approved, guarantees significant financial savings for airlines, especially in light of the economic uncertainty in the post-Corona era and the reduction of international flights.

On the other hand, the move could lead to opposition from pilots, many of whom were fired in the corona year.

This is in addition to concerns regarding the connection between flight automation and flight safety.

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Once the permit is given, two pilots will be able to stay on the plane - one in the cockpit and the other at rest (Photo: ShutterStock, Shutterstock)

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"There will be no compromise on safety"

It should be noted that the German airline Lufthansa also planned to start a similar program, but it is reported that it has currently abandoned it.

A Qatai Pacific spokesman confirmed the company's involvement in the project, but said no decision had been made yet.

"While we are developing the limited staff program with Airbus, we have in no way committed ourselves to being the customers who will launch the program," he said.

The airline also said that prior to commercial implementation of this development, comprehensive testing, regulatory approvals and dedicated pilot training would be required.

"There will be no compromise on safety."

The sources further noted that the economic impacts of the post-Corona plague era will have a significant impact on the decision whether and how to implement the plan.

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In this plane the pilo is performed.

Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 (Photo: Official website, Cathay Pacific)

Essential Signs: Continuous monitoring of pilot condition

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) explains that this type of development will require continuous supervision and monitoring of the cockpit's alertness of the single pilot, as well as monitoring of his vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, etc.).

In this way, if a problem arises, the other pilot, who is at rest, can be called in a short time.

One way or another, during the take-off and landing times, the presence of the two pilots in the cockpit will be required.

"Usually, on long-haul flights, when you're flying at high altitudes, very little happens in the cockpit," says Patrick Key, director of the European Aviation Safety Agency.

"Therefore, it would make sense to approve such a plan, in which one pilot would be active and the other would be at rest, provided we implement technological solutions that ensure that if the single pilot falls asleep or another problem arises, no flight safety harm will be caused."

In contrast, the European Pilots' Union warns that this program could bring with it higher risks.

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