I am perfectly willing to be corrected, but I do believe that an experimental pilotless Douglas DC-4 flew the Atlantic, West to East in 1947.
A human stepped in to do the flare and roll-out, but apart fron that, the entire flight was automated.
If, 55 years later, that idea has not been taken further, well, I don't think we need concern ourselves too much.
Can you imagine an automatic aircraft coping with a night Corfu in the height of summer?