The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) says more research and new technology will be needed before it can recommend moving forward with a framework permitting single pilots to operate large commercial aircraft.
EASA has been studying minimum aircrew requirements and single-pilot operations since 2021. The goal, according to the organization, is to develop a system that would allow a single pilot to fly a commercial jet just as safely as a two-pilot team, but that concept is a long way from implementation.
“With the current cockpit design taken as a reference, and within the limits of the research, it was identified that an equivalent level of safety between [extended minimum-crew operations] and the current two-crew operations cannot be sufficiently demonstrated,” the EASA stated.
EASA recommended that future studies look more closely at pilot incapacitation monitoring, fatigue and drowsiness, sleep inertia, cross-checks, and physiological needs.
The organization previewed these conclusions in its European Plan for Aviation Safety 2025, released in January. That document established that new technology will need to be developed and tested before the single-pilot concept can progress.
EASA said it envisions a future “smart cockpit” that could automatically handle many functions currently performed by pilots while also monitoring a flight crew’s performance and alertness.
