There is a very simple reason why it will never happen. Two pilots are cheaper than the development and certification costs involved with replacing them.
What does an average airline crew cost you? Maybe £200k pa times 5 crews per aircraft. So that is a £1m a year per aircraft. If you replaced them you'd still need someone to control the aircraft from the bunker. You'd need more staff to handle the aircraft during the turnaround. So you'd never save £1m - maybe half a million.
But the aircraft would be twice as expensive to buy due to the new technology and certification costs. The interest on the capital would easily wipe out the half a million pound saving on the wage bill.
So it won't happen. Cutting the pilot wage bills is a small saving paid for by a massively costly investment programme.
The Engineers could make it happen. The Accountants would never let them.
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