Release #: 24.29
November 22, 2024

European Aviation Safety Chief Acknowledges Need for Two Pilots on the Flight Deck, Says Technology Enhancements Should Not Displace Pilots

WASHINGTON—As the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) considers the safety implications of reduced-crew operations, the head of the agency has acknowledged the need for two pilots on the flight deck and the importance of not allowing technology to displace pilots.

“Aviation safety experts around the world, including those at the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, recognize the critical importance of having two pilots on the flight deck at all times,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA). “We appreciate EASA’s acknowledgement of this fundamental fact and will continue to work with them and others to ensure that improvements in technology—which are a good thing—do not replace pilots or allow operators to reduce crew complement.”

Currently, EASA is working to establish criteria for the development of various reduced-crew operation scenarios such as extended minimum crew operations and single-pilot operations on specific aircraft with an eye toward eliminating two-pilot flight decks. ALPA, along with global pilot unions, are united in opposition to this concept and have made it a priority to maintain at least two pilots on the flight deck to ensure the safety and security of all airline flight operations. No one understands better than a pilot that when an issue arises in flight, it is the pilots who are responsible for achieving a safe outcome.

According to Aviation Week, EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet, while speaking at a transport and tourism committee hearing at the European Parliament, said, “What we are dealing with are actually enhancements in terms of functionalities of the cockpit, which we believe can bring additional safety benefits ... but without challenging the fact that we need two pilots to conduct a flight … So, the point is not to change the concept of operation ... We will ensure that those technologies can be certified and reach the cockpit, but within the way cockpits are being operated.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 78,000 pilots at 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org