The New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) is pouring cold water on international suggestions that passenger aircraft could soon be flying in our skies with just one pilot in the cockpit.

NZALPA represents more than 2,000 pilots, aviation instructors, and every air traffic controller in in the country. A focus on improving aviation safety means NZALPA supports any developments that it believes will enhance flight safety.

“But in our view, having a single pilot in the cockpit is a risk that’s not worth taking. The risk far outweighs any possible benefits,” says President Captain Andrew Ridling.

“The most vital safety feature for any passenger aircraft is two experienced, trained, and rested professional pilots in the cockpit.”

NZALPA’s comments come in the wake of suggestions from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that single pilot flights could be a reality by 2027. EASA is commissioning research looking at the risks and mitigations; while the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, is calling for more information on the risks and safety shortfalls before any changes are made to its technical standards for international civil aviation.

“There are all sorts of potential risks that need to be considered,” says Captain Ridling. “As well as the greater workload, there would be enormous pressure on a single pilot to get everything right. We are all human, and sometimes we make mistakes. If there is no-one sitting alongside to pick those up, then obviously there is an increased risk of an error leading to a serious incident,” he says.

Junior pilots would also miss out on the opportunity to work alongside senior colleagues – an important part of ongoing training.

“The biggest question of all is how keen would passengers be to get on a plane with just one pilot in command? We’ve all seen stories of pilots experiencing mid-flight medical events, the rogue pilot who shut his captain out of the cockpit and crashed the plane, and equipment malfunctions that have led to planes crashing within just minutes.

“Without wishing to sound alarmist, how comfortable will passengers be with boarding a plane that’s got more backup equipment than it could possibly make full use of, yet has only one person in the cockpit? The total reliance on that one pilot would take aviation medical standards to a whole new level.

“We are just days away from marking the 14th anniversaries of the Air New Zealand A320 crash off the coast of France and the 1979 Erebus crash. They are a timely reminder of the need for safety to override all other aspects of aviation,” says Captain Ridling.

He says NZALPA welcomes robust investigation of single pilot flying before any changes are seriously considered. “In the meantime we believe that having just one pilot in the cockpit is an unacceptable risk to aviation safety.”

For more information

EASA research https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/research-projects/emco-sipo-extended-minimum-crew-operations-single-pilot-operations-safety-risk

ICAO working paper https://www.icao.int/Meetings/a41/Documents/WP/wp_323_en.pdf

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