Why pilots are worried about plans to replace co-pilots with AI

A dangerous idea is stalking the world of passenger aviation: that of halving, sometime in the 2030s, the number of pilots at the helm of civilian airliners and filling the vacant seats with AI – a move experts say could make flying far less safe. Instead of a captain and co-pilot on the flight deck, as big jets have today, Single Pilot Operations (SPOs) will have just one pilot alongside an AI somehow designed to undertake the tough, safety-critical role of co-piloting.

This, airlines argue, will address a pilot shortage that has become economically debilitating for the industry. But SPO…