Cathay working on longhaul

Cathay working on longhaul, According to Reuters, respected sources in the industry have said that Cathay Pacific is discussing introducing “reduced crew” long-haul flights with Airbus. This would mean that during high altitudes, only one pilot would be present in the cockpit. The program referred to as Project Connect within Airbus; its purpose is to get certification from jet A350 for single-pilot operations.. If all goes according to plan, these passenger flights could begin around 2025.

Even if high obstacles are overcome, international journey times would only become shorter if a minimum of two pilots were able to take scheduled rests instead of the current three or four.

The single-pilot technique is designed to save airlines money while uncertainty surrounds the post-pandemic economics of international travel. However, it will face resistance from pilots who have just gone through a mass layoff and concerns about aircraft automation’s safety. Lufthansa has studied the single-pilot program, but at this time, no plans exist to utilize it, according to a spokesman for the German airline. Cathay Pacific confirmed its involvement but said nothing had been decided about full deployment.

Cathay working on longhaul

“While we are discussing the concept of reduced crew operations with Airbus, we have not committed to being the launch customer,” Cathay Pacific said. “Before any commercial implementation is considered, it will first require extensive testing, regulatory approval, and pilot training with no trade-off in safety. “The appropriateness and effectiveness of any such rollout as well as (the) overall cost-benefit analysis (will) ultimately depend on how the pandemic plays out.”

It continued: “Having said that, we will continue to work with Airbus and assist the concept’s progress.” In a statement, Airbus announced plans to integrate single-pilot functionality on the A350. The airlines’ participation had not been mentioned until now. Work has restarted after the COVID-19 crisis halted development of the aircraft, according to Chief Test Pilot Christophe Cail.”We’ve shown we can improve safety by installing the most up-to-date technology in planes,” Cail said. Although he did not name any project partners, he added, “As with all design changes, we consult with airlines.”

VITAL SIGNS

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has said that safe deployment will require on-board systems to constantly monitor the solo pilot’s alertness and vital signs. If the flight encounters a problem or the pilot flying becomes incapacitated, the resting copilot can be summoned within minutes. Both pilots remain in the cockpit for take-off and landing.

EASA chief Patrick Ky told a German press briefing in January that it’s typical for there to be very little activity in the cockpit during long-haul flights at cruise altitude.Ky said, “It makes sense to say OK, instead of having two in the cockpit, we can have one in the cockpit, provided we’re implementing technical solutions which make sure that if the single one falls asleep or has any problem, there won’t be any unsafe conditions.”

Pilot groups have voiced alarm.

“We can’t seem to comprehend the rationale,” Otjan de Bruijn, head of the European Cockpit Association and EU pilot representative said. De Bruijin went on to state that cost-cutting measures “could lead to higher risks”. These single-pilot operations are currently only limited for planes with nine passengers or less. If these plans were to go through, they would need support from U.N.’s aviation body ICAO as well as other countries whose airspace would be affected by this change in policy. Out of all the countries, China’s opinion holds a lot of weight when it comes down deciding whether or not this will happen since Cathay is one of their main allies.

According to the head of the European Aviation Safety Agency, EASA will conduct consultations this year and certification activities in 2022, acknowledging there is “a significant risk” that the 2025 rollout date will be missed. According to notes of a meeting reviewed by Reuters, the agency mentioned single-operator reduced-crew flights would begin with a single operator during a closed-door industry session this year.

EMERGENCY DESCENT

Sources close to the program said that Airbus has created an A350 autopilot upgrade and a flight warning system modifications to help a single pilot deal with catastrophes. Because of its “emergency descent” capability, which allows the plane to rapidly descend without requiring the pilot’s intervention in the case of cabin depressurisation, the mid-sized aircraft is ideal. Single-pilot operations may be acceptable to a flying public accustomed to crew members stepping out of their seats for restroom visits, according To proponents, because automated systems have had higher human pilots error rates than autonomous systems.

According to a source close to Lufthansa, the airline’s executives were told last year that the project could not fulfill safety objectives. Flying solo for hours is “quite a different situation,” according to the source, who cited the 2009 AF447 disaster as an example of systems failing in cruise. The Air France A330’s copilots lost command when its speed sensors failed over the Atlantic while the captain was sleeping.

The source said that “Airbus would have had to make sure every situation can be handled autonomously without any pilot input for 15 minutes,” and added that such a guarantee couldn’t be given. Lufthansa’s spokesman has clarified that the airline is still involved in Project Connect as an adviser, though they currently have no plans to deploy single-pilot operations. The spokesman also noted that it is inaccurate to claim that “Lufthansa was an essential part of the project and then pulled back.”

According to experts, aircraft like the A350 would be selling points for their single-pilot automation capability. Furthermore, Filippo Tomasello predicts that COVID may end up “accelerating this evolution” of automating airplanes. This is because it creates an immense economic pressure on aviation currently. Consequently, if EASA approves this solution, many airlines will likely implement it themselves.