Flying solo: Airlines say it's safe for passenger planes to fly with one pilot in the cockpit

Some airlines want to start flying with just one pilot in the cockpit of passenger planes instead of two.

Airlines and regulators say the move would cut costs and reduce problems caused by staff shortages.

But some pilots - and passengers - have expressed concerns over safety.

Here’s why aviation authorities think flying solo is the future.

At the moment, it is the norm to fly passenger planes with two pilots in the cockpit.

This makes it much easier to prevent and deal with emergency situations. A single pilot may be unable to manage critical circumstances alone.

While flying, one pilot is usually handling the controls and steering the plane while the other is monitoring for any issues or anomalies.

This also allows each pilot to take breaks and avoid fatigue, which can have fatal consequences. Similarly, if one pilot falls ill, the other can take over.

Over 40 countries, including the UK, are now pushing for a change in the rules.

They have appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - the UN body that sets the regulations - to help find a safe way for commercial planes to fly with a single pilot.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is also discussing with plane construction companies how to make solo pilot services a reality.

The EASA suggested such flights could start in 2027.

But some pilots have warned that this could pose a safety risk.

“The people going down this route aren’t the people who fly jets every day,” Tony Lucas, an Airbus SE A330 captain for Qantas Airways told Bloomberg.

“When things go awry, they go awry fairly quickly.”

Lucas, who is also president of the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), warned that an emergency can get out of hand so quickly that there is