European Regulator Halts Single-Pilot Certification Efforts Amid Safety and Technology Concerns

Europe - The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has announced a temporary pause of its efforts to authorize single-pilot operations for large commercial aircraft, following strong opposition from labor unions such as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The decision reflects ongoing safety and technological concerns, particularly around workload, health monitoring, and emergency response capabilities. While EASA halts immediate regulatory progression, Airbus is expected to continue research and development in this area.

In its latest report, EASA has clarified the status and direction of its Extended Minimum Crew Operations and Single Pilot Operations (eMCO-SiPO) research, confirming that while exploratory work continues, current flight deck designs do not yet support an equivalent level of safety compared to conventional two-pilot operations. Funded under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021–2022, the initiative focuses on evaluating the technical, regulatory, and human factors feasibility of reducing cockpit crew size in large commercial air transport. In light of unresolved safety challenges—including incapacitation monitoring, fatigue risk, and cockpit redesign requirements—EASA has paused any immediate regulatory steps toward implementing single-pilot operations.

• The eMCO-SiPO project is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme, with a total budget of €14.2 million for six EASA-led research actions.

• The project addresses the technical and safety implications of reducing flight crew size, particularly:

  • eMCO: Allowing single-pilot cruise phase operations with support systems.

  • SiPO: Envisioning full end-to-end single-pilot commercial operations in the future.

• EASA’s research concludes that current cockpit designs cannot yet deliver safety equivalent to two-pilot operations, due to:

  • Pilot incapacitation monitoring gaps

  • Fatigue and drowsiness concerns

  • Sleep inertia effects

  • Lack of redundancy in cross-checking

  • Physiological needs of pilots

• The project has identified five critical research areas:

  • Safety risk assessment & monitoring

  • Human factors and performance

  • Air operations

  • Fatigue risk management

  • Flight training

• Research activities include: consultations with OEMs, simulator experiments, safety hazard identification, and development of mitigation strategies.

• EASA confirms that any future consideration of eMCO or SiPO will depend on:

  • Smart cockpit technologies

  • Proven safety benefit through data-driven assessments

  • Implementation experience in conventional two-pilot operations

• These outcomes are being reflected in the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS) 2025, with a focus on enhancing current cockpit technologies rather than immediate regulatory shifts.

Source: EASA