Christian Scherer, Airbus’s chief executive officer, has pioneering in his blood. Christian Scherer, the man who runs the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, was only ten years old when he saw his father fly Airbus’s very first aircraft in its maiden flight over Toulouse on October 28th 1972.
It is not surprising that the 61 year old German thinks commercial flights can be operated with just one pilot, as the industry aims to reduce costs and improve safety by increasing automation.
He said, “Technologically it’s feasible.” Remember that if you choose a cockpit with one person, it’s as if you were choosing a cockpit with zero people. It’s all to prepare for the possibility that the pilot ate an oyster with a bad taste and becomes incapacitated, and the plane has to take control. “So one pilot or zero-pilot is the same thing.”
Scherer’s support for reducing pilots in the cockpit is likely to surprise many given the safety issues that Boeing, Airbus’s American competitor, has faced.
Last month, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 carrying 177 passengers and crew was forced to make an emergency land after a part of the fuselage blew during a flight.
Last month, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737Max 9 was forced to perform an emergency landingafter part of the fuselage blew during flight. All 177 passengers and crew landed in Portland, Oregon safely. The blowout came after two Boeing 737 Max crashes that occurred within six months one another five years ago. Nearly 350 people were killed.
Philip Buller, a Berenberg analyst, stated: “Public perception of aviation security is particularly low.”
Scherer, who took over as CEO of Airbus Commercial aircraft last month, remains second in the hierarchy to Guillaume Faury.
Scherer stated that “any progress you make in this area must first demonstrate greater reliability and safety.”
“If we can show it’s moving in the right directions, in terms [of] safety and reliability. The pilot could even have a more enriching role, becoming a more effective mission manager, rather than a driver.
Airbus employees, while it may alarm the public at large, see the one-pilot operation simply as the next step in pioneering technologies that are now taken for granted by the flying public.
The Airbus A300 is the first wide-body twin-engined jet.
Airbus’ first aircraft, A300, only had two engines when it was introduced in the 1970s. At that time, three or four engine aircraft were common. Airbus was among the first aircraft manufacturers to eliminate onboard engineers in the early 1980s. The number of cockpit crew members dropped from three to just two. When “fly-by-wire” technology was first introduced, it was viewed with suspicion.
Airbus has completed its “pilotless” A350-1000 jet test flight, which is capable of carrying up to 410 people. The pilots were only in the cockpit to provide backup, and were only passengers when the plane taxied, took-off, and landed in Toulouse.
Airbus tested its “DragonFly”, a technology that kicks in when a pilot is incapacitated during flight, back in January of last year. The software will identify the best airport for an emergency landing to bring down the flight safely. The software works in conjunction with other ground staff and air traffic controllers. This technology is considered an important failsafe for single-pilot operations.
Honeywell, an American technology conglomerate launched in November a project called “Darwin”, to explore the use of artificial intelligence to overcome the challenges faced by commercial flights that are manned only by one pilot.
Christian Scherer asks if passengers are ready to accept a single-pilot aircraft
Buller, Berenberg’s analyst, said that this has been discussed for some time. “We used three or four engines in a plane, but now there are only two.” There was a need for additional engines in a plane to ensure safety when flying across the Atlantic. Now, planes fly from London to Sydney using two engines. We seem to be moving towards single-pilot operations. It’s not a question of if, but when.”
The pilots’ unions have been among the most vocal opponents of single-pilot operations. A coalition of unions on both sides of Atlantic called single-pilot operations “a profit-driven scheme which poses a significant risk”.
Scherer’s main concern is the perception of passengers. “Whether it is socially feasible, that’s another question. What will the traveling public think of a single-pilot aircraft? “Would the public accept that?” asked he.
He added that the technology had “almost proven its case” whether there were one or zero pilots. “It is a huge onion that needs to be peeled.”
Christian Scherer is the chief executive officer of commercial aircraft for the Franco-German firm. He said Brexit made operating in the UK a “little bit more complex” due to additional customs and immigration curbs. “But we’ve adapted, and it works,” said Scherer.
Airbus employees work on a wing at Broughton in Flintshire. Christian Scherer says that the UK is “our centre for expertise in wings”.
Airbus’s second-in-command admitted that Brexit was less disruptive than it had anticipated for its business.
Tom Enders warned that no-deal Brexit could cost British businesses billions and affect thousands of jobs. Enders threatened to leave the UK in 2019 by saying: “If there’s a no deal Brexit, Airbus will be forced to make potentially harmful decisions for the UK.”
Nissan, a Japanese automaker, was also a fellow Brexit critic in November last year.
Hawker Siddeley was the company that developed the Hurricane fighter during the Second World War, and is the origin of Airbus’ British operations.
Scherer stated that the UK was “our centre for expertise in wings”. “And by virtue of success, our footprint in the UK grows,” he said. “We are pleased with the level of productivity we observe here. We like the quality we see… there is no need to change despite the Brexit adaptation.
Airbus announced that it will pay a special shareholder dividend after generating net cash in excess of €10 billion. The aerospace giant said it will deliver 800 commercial planes to customers in this year.