The Cockpit Association has little to gain from the initiative of the ICAO General Assembly, which could lead to the accelerated introduction of single-pilot operations. It is believed that hasty approval of new technologies could jeopardize flight safety.

"We are open to further technical developments in aviation," says Matthais Baier, spokesman and board member of the Cockpit Association. "But you have to improve safety, not worsen it - and an improvement in safety by reducing the cockpit crew is currently not discernible, on the contrary: with the current technical possibilities, the very high level of safety in aviation would be endangered."

As part of the 41st ICAO General Assembly, new concepts for reducing the cockpit crew (Reduced Crew Operation, RCO) are being discussed, which the Cockpit Association (VC) and the World Pilots Association IFALPA see as a cause for great concern: The extension of the maximum flight duty times by reducing the Minimum in-flight crew and single-pilot operations are currently being considered for short- and medium-term implementation.

“We urgently warn against hasty approval of such technologies. The further development and increased use of automation must be preceded by a thorough risk assessment involving all stakeholders at all levels of industry as well as regulators, governments, etc. We reject reducing the cockpit crew to one person, regardless of the flight phase. Maintaining and increasing flight safety must also have priority over economic interests in the future," Baier continued.

The VC also considers a transfer of a pilot from the cockpit to a ground control station to be critical to safety. At the moment, a corresponding data link infrastructure is technically not feasible in terms of cyber security and data transmission latency for commercial air traffic. This would also significantly impair the cooperation of the pilots, which calls into question the development of adequate situational awareness.