Improvements in automation, reliability and technology such as autopilot and satellite navigation have enabled modern large aircraft to operate safely with only two pilots on duty.
With further technological improvements, it may be possible safely to reduce crew requirements to one, providing cost savings.
[3] In 2023, Airbus project Dragonfly used a combination of normal and infrared cameras, as well as radar, to assist pilots in various situations.
[4] In 2024 Airbus began testing an autonomous aircraft taxi system called "Optimate".
[9] In their white paper, ALPA argue that two-pilot operations reduces errors through cross-checking, workload sharing and better decision-making, and provides redundancy in the case of pilot incapacitation.