Airlines across Europe could be allowed to operate flights packed with passengers with just one pilot at the controls within the next five years, a leading union that represents pilots across the continent has warned.
Single pilot operations, or ‘Extended Minimum Crew Operations’ as it is known within the aviation industry, is becoming an increasingly hot topic as regulators seriously consider whether they should allow airlines to slash costs by having just one pilot at the controls.
Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) is currently being investigated for the cruise stage on long-haul flights where airlines typically have three or even four pilots rostered to work a single flight.
After takeoff, pilots will take it in turns to sleep in a dedicated crew rest compartment in order to comply with stringent rules called ‘flight time limitations’ in order to reduce the risk of fatigue during critical stages of flight or in an emergency situation.
Of course, in order to have two pilots at the controls at any one time, airlines are, therefore, required to roster three or more pilots, which is a cost that airlines would love to save on.
In 2021, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus approached the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) with an idea to get rid of the requirement to have two pilots in the cockpit during the cruise stage, and a working group was quickly set up by regulators to explore the feasibility of this plan.
This year, EASA is expected to start work on the regulatory framework that will allow eMCO to take flight, and by 2030, new regulations could be introduced across Europe allowing single pilot operations.
EASA is currently working through all the practical problems that could arise as a result of eMCO, as well as the ‘smart cockpit’ solutions that are being worked on to overcome these challenges.
One of the more interesting problems is the fact that the sole pilot on duty could urgently need to go to the toilet, which could mean that no one would be at the controls if the pilot had to step out of the cockpit for a restroom break.
Some of the solutions that were seriously looked into by EASA to overcome this problem included asking pilots to deliberately dehydrate themselves before starting a lone shift at the aircraft controls, as well as requiring them to eat a high-protein, low-residue diet to mitigate the risk of them needing to defecate.
The agency even considered making pilots wear adult diapers or equipping cockpits with disposable urine collectors.
Thankfully, the safety regulator discounted these outlandish solutions, saying they were “not acceptable nor feasible.”
However, Airbus has been working on a potential solution in the form of a radio-equipped potty that would be installed behind the Captain’s seat in the cockpit. If EASA approves, the concept could be tested on Airbus’ flagship A350 widebody aircraft by 2027.
Pilots unions claim the motivation behind Airbus’ push for eMCO is simple – it’s all about money. The hope is that airlines would be more likely to buy Airbus planes over rival Boeing because the cost savings in pilot wages would be so huge.
It’s not, however, just Europe that is looking at single pilot operations. Back in 2021, Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific revealed that it had also been working with Airbus on a secret project that was codenamed ‘Connect.’
The Airbus A350 was again mooted as the best aircraft eMCO as it already has several autonomous systems, including an emergency descent feature that automatically takes the plane down to a lower safe altitude in the event of a sudden depressurization without any pilot input.
Cathay Pacific was reportedly looking at trialing eMCO this year, although it’s unlikely that this will now happen.
Would you be happy to be a passenger on a plane with just one pilot at the controls?
After the german wings incident, heck no!