Public anxiety is sky-high over the prospect of flying on drone-controlled aircraft, despite a new survey that suggests airlines could save $35 billion a year with pilotless planes.
The survey from investment banking firm UBS says pilotless flights could become widespread as soon as 2025, once all the technological and legal details are ironed out. But, according to the survey conducted by UBS researchers, 54 per cent of respondents said they would not want to fly on an aircraft that doesn’t have a human pilot. The survey of 8,000 individuals found that only 17 per cent would be willing to catch a flight with a drone at the controls.
UBS says eliminating the pilot would allow airlines to save on training costs and salaries, while also allowing airlines to potentially add more seats to each aircraft.
The firm also suggests drone-controlled flights would make air travel safer by reducing the possibility of human error, thereby reducing airline insurance premiums.
UBS suggests it may take some time for airline passengers to become comfortable with robot pilots. However, they saw reason for optimism in the survey results, as young people (between 18-34) and more educated respondents showed a higher willingness to board a drone-controlled plane.
The firm also acknowledges that the cost of researching, testing and finally installing drone flight capabilities would represent a high upfront cost for airlines.
Boeing is expected to test pilotless aircraft next year, with an eye to eventually running pilotless cargo flights before introducing the technology on passenger flights.
