People Skeptical About Pilotless Planes

(RTTNews) - Pilotless planes could help the aviation industry save around $35 billion a year, but very few people are willing to fly on such planes, according to a recent survey by financial services firm UBS.

The survey of 8,000 people in the U.S., Europe and Australia, commissioned by UBS for its UBS Evidence Lab, found that just 17 percent of travelers are willing to fly without a pilot. Meanwhile, 54% said they would be unlikely to buy a ticket for such a flight.

The survey, commissioned in June, showed that older age groups, of people aged 45 and above, were the most resistant, while more young people are willing to give them a try. The 25 to 34 age group is the most likely to step on board.

The consumers were asked how much cheaper a pilotless flight ticket would need to be for them to purchase it. UBS Evidence Lab report said, "Perhaps surprisingly, half the respondents said they would not buy the pilotless ticket even if it was cheaper."

According to UBS, the technology required to operate remote-controlled planes could appear by 2025. The report estimates the industry could save $35 billion a year by moving to pilotless planes. These savings could be passed to passengers through lower fares.

"The technologies in development today will enable the aircraft to assist and back up the pilot in all the flight phases, removing the pilot from manual control and systems operations in all types of situations," the report said.

UBS researchers said that cargo planes would likely be first to incorporate the new technology than commercial airlines. Unlike passengers, cargo is not concerned with the status of its pilots and pilotless cargo aircraft may happen more swiftly than for passengers, the report noted.

At present, airlines around the world face a severe shortage of pilots resulting in surging costs as airlines are forced to pay more to keep pilots and to attract new ones.

As per Boeing's recent annual forecast, passenger and cargo airlines around the world would buy 41,000 new airliners between 2017 and 2036, which would need to find and train 637,000 new pilots to fly them.