Hand flying in todays jet transports
There are operators in the Middle East and Asia known for their propensity to mandate as SOP no manual flying, except for the few minutes of take off and the landing from short final. Inevitably, the natural result is increasing automatics dependency among their crews. Nevertheless, many of these operators enjoy a good flight safety record.
One letter writer to the editor of Aviation Week and Space Technology (January 29-February11, 2018), makes the following astute observation, however.
"Lack of mechanical breakdowns is way ahead of pilot qualifications or experience resulting in increased safety. Challenge today's pilot with hand-flown non-precision approaches (in a simulator, of course) to see the truth of pilot experience now."
Few would disagree with his sentiment in the light of increasingly sophisticated jet transports coupled with low experience pilots direct from flying schools, now coming into the industry.