Reduced Crew Operations

Addressing Reduced Crew Operations to protect aviation safety

Reduced Crew Operations (RCO), including Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single‑Pilot Operations (SiPO) concepts, represent a fundamental change to the way commercial aviation has historically managed safety, workload, and risk. IFALPA’s RCO Campaign addresses these proposals by focusing on their safety, security, and operational implications, recognising that the current safety record of commercial aviation has been built on the presence of at least two fully qualified, well‑rested pilots on the flight deck in all phases of flight.

Drawing on operational experience and supported by independent research, IFALPA’s work challenges assumptions that reductions in flight deck crew can be offset by automation or remote systems. The campaign emphasises that any proposed change must demonstrably improve safety beyond current standards, and that technology should be developed to support and enhance human performance, not replace it.

Four Pillars of Activities

Engage with Manufacturers

Promoting transparent, risk‑based dialogue with aircraft manufacturers to ensure that new technologies enhance safety and support two-or-more pilot operations.

Support to our Members

Providing a common strategy, tools, and technical resources for MAs to enable effective engagement with regulators and governments on the safety risks and broader impacts of reduced crew concepts.

Public Outreach

Enhancing public and stakeholder understanding of the pilot’s essential role, the limitations of automation, and the safety benefits of multi-pilot operations in order to maintain trust in the aviation system.

Engagement at ICAO

Working within ICAO processes to ensure that any consideration of new operating concepts is driven by safety outcomes, globally harmonised standards, and robust evidence.

The Global Campaign

In response to growing industry proposals to reduce the number of pilots on the flight deck, IFALPA is part of a global coalition of pilot organisations working to protect and strengthen the safety standards that underpin commercial aviation. Together with the European Cockpit Association (ECA), the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), and pilot representatives from across the international aviation community — including the Associations of Star Alliance Pilots, the Oneworld Cockpit Crew Coalition, and the SkyTeam Pilots Association — the campaign advocates for maintaining two qualified pilots at the controls at all times. The coalition continues to engage with regulators, governments, manufacturers, and international bodies, including ICAO, to ensure that safety remains the primary driver of any future operational developments.

While automation and new technologies continue to evolve, the global pilot community maintains that technology must support — not replace — human expertise on the flight deck. Two pilots provide essential redundancy, real-time decision making, workload management, and resilience during abnormal or emergency situations that cannot be fully replicated by automation or remote systems. Through the global “Safety Starts With Two” campaign, pilot organisations worldwide are united in opposing reduced crew operations and in defending the multi-pilot standards that have helped make aviation the safest form of transport in the world.

Safety Starts With 2

Safety Conclusions on Reduced Crew Operations

Independent safety and risk assessments of Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single‑Pilot Operations (SiPO) have identified substantial, systemic risks that remain unresolved. These assessments conclude that current concepts rely on assumptions about automation performance, remote support, and human resilience that are not supported by evidence across the full range of normal, abnormal, and emergency operations. 

The findings reinforce that removing a qualified pilot from the flight deck significantly reduces redundancy, degrades workload management and error recovery, and increases vulnerability safety‑critical events. In line with these conclusions, IFALPA continues to advocate for safety‑led decision‑making that recognises the essential role of multi‑pilot operations and ensures that any future changes to crew concepts demonstrably improve safety rather than transfer or increase risk within the aviation system. 

Learn More

Latest Publications