From AinOnline...AIRBUS EXPLORE AUTONOMOUS TECH Meanwhile, Airbus is engaged in studies on operational patterns for flight crew on long-range flights. These studies are ongoing and based on a minimum of two operating crew per flight, and they are being undertaken in conjunction with the regulatory authorities and airline partners.
“With safety and social acceptance being top priorities, our mission is not to move ahead with autonomy but to explore autonomous technologies alongside technologies in materials, electrification, connectivity, and more,” an Airbus spokesperson said. “In doing so, we are able to analyze the potential of these innovations to enhance future operations, and at the same time, leverage these opportunities to further improve aircraft safety while ensuring today’s unprecedented levels are maintained.”
According to Airbus, although fully autonomous aircraft are still many years away, urban air mobility vehicles are proving to be a valuable option to start the rollout of self-piloting aircraft operations.
“New urban air mobility vehicles like Vahana have been designed to integrate self-piloting functionalities from the start. This is because flying taxi missions involve short, point-to-point flights along a restricted selection of routes using limited landing infrastructure, thus making urban air vehicles ideal for testing self-piloting operations in aircraft. Although the technology is still not mature enough to transport passengers, autonomy in aircraft operations will undoubtedly be shaped by self-piloting, flying taxi demonstrators like Vahana,” said Airbus.
No precise calendar exists for these new technologies, which are not fully mature, according to Airbus. “Based on technology availability and maturity, the first potential application of autonomous technologies might be single-pilot operations and only during the cruise phase,” the Airbus spokesperson said.