An association of pilots is concerned about the impact pioneering auto-pilot technology could have on jobs and airline safety.
Australian and International Pilots Association president Tony Lucas believes Airbus’ new DragonFly system, which would be capable of changing flight plans and making landings, will force aviation into a “fundamental rethink”.
The experienced Qantas captain claimed the Airbus tech was “absolutely about cost” savings for airlines, and could be geared towards solving a worldwide pilot shortage by cutting the number of pilots on the flight deck down to one person.
Airbus refuted both those scenarios when 9news.com.au put those claims to them.
A spokesperson from the aircraft manufacturer, which posted a $6.8 billion profit last year, said the DragonFly system aimed “to explore and mature technologies that have the potential to improve pilot assistance and enhance safety”.
“It is not designed to replace or reduce the number of crew, but as a back-up system in the event of pilot incapacitation,” the spokesperson said.
“The research is ongoing and there is currently no timeline for when such a system could be certificated for installation on production aircraft.”
Using sensors modelled on the vision capabilities of nature’s dragonfly, the Airbus system can diagnose a mechanical problem, autonomously divert the course of a plane in an emergency, make an automatic landing and taxi a plane to and from a terminal.
Airbus is trialling this groundbreaking tech on A350-1000 test aircraft, the same model plane Qantas will operate on its much-hyped, multi-billion-dollar Project Sunrise from 2025.
Last year Qantas placed an order with Airbus for 12 of the A350-1000s.
These highly efficient, Rolls-Royce-powered jets will carry 238 passengers from Sydney to any city on the planet, non-stop.
“New types of aircraft make new things possible,” Qantas Group boss Alan Joyce said at the announcement.
Project Sunrise will launch with the first delivery of the A350-1000s in late 2025.
The 12 Airbus planes will be delivered to Qantas over three years, but there is no suggestion at the moment they will be fitted out with DragonFly.
Qantas declined to comment on the DragonFly tech, and what it might mean for its crews, when approached by 9news.com.au.
“I think commercial airlines will take a serious look at it,” Lucas said. Earlier this month Qantas was once again named the world’s safest airline.
Having never suffered a fatal accident involving one of its jetliners, the national carrier’s safety record is a source of pride and the envy of many airlines in the aviation industry.
