The article is quite depressing to read but we have to remember this not Airbus speaking , just a journalist speculating and mixing up 3 things .
One pilot during the cruise will come with or without someone ( kind of a ground F/O) on the ground watching up is the issue . USA (NASA CONOPS) says there should be one , monitoring a few flights. Airbus says there is no need for that .
However as Less Hair remarked either way this needs a safe and functioning data link to work ,. Data link is still not working today as it should , and no quick fix in sight. Currently , outside VHF coverage HF is the CPDLC back up .. I do not see any authority certifying emergency procedures relayed via HF radio operators.
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Single pilot operations ,is an aircraft operated by a single pilot , a totally different concept and cockpit design . Embraer has the lead on that . Whether we will see a E190 sized aircraft certified for singled pilot on short flights using ADS-C is only a matter of time I would say .
Then we have autonomous flight . Nobody on the aircraft .We call this drones. For the moment drones carrying pax is out of the question .But the technology is there already , however 3 things block : insurance premiums is one , acceptance by people is another . But both can and will probably be solved, as both are only a question of money. . The 3rd one is the critical one : who will be responsible for software programming errors or omissions leading to a massive loss of life ? The manufacturer, the programmer of the autonomous software codes or of the aircraft operator ( i.e. airline ) . That is not only money but facing judges. Every management always wants a responsible layer to protect them , with autonomous flight , the barrier is much thinner and easier to jump.