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When Will AI Be Flying Passenger Planes?

Kevin Simmons
Updated

Short answer: Not for decades. AI already helps airlines plan routes and has flown military jets with a safety pilot aboard, but no regulator allows it to fly passenger planes. Europe has paused work on reduced-crew cockpits, U.S. law now backs two pilots, and EASA expects advanced cockpit automation only after the mid-2030s.

AI has already flown a fighter jet, and automation already handles much of an airline flight. Neither means AI will fly passenger airliners soon. Since 2025, regulators in Europe and the U.S. have reinforced the two‑pilot cockpit, and their roadmaps put highly automated airline operations in the mid‑2030s at the earliest.

Has AI already flown an aircraft on its own?

Yes, in military tests. In December 2022, AI agents flew the X‑62A VISTA, a modified two‑seat F‑16, at Edwards Air Force Base. Lockheed Martin reported that an AI agent flew it for more than 17 hours, the first time AI had operated a tactical aircraft. The flights were part of DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program, with a safety pilot on board. DARPA later announced the first in‑air dogfighting tests of AI against a human‑piloted F‑16 (2023–2024), and in July 2026 an AI agent controlled a standard F‑16 fitted with an autonomy kit, with pilots monitoring from the cockpit.

Civil aviation saw a narrower milestone on December 20, 2025, when a King Air with two pilots and no passengers landed in Colorado under Garmin’s emergency Autoland system after a pressurization problem; the operator said the pilots chose to let it keep control. Autoland is an emergency function for small aircraft, not an AI pilot, and military test flights do not face the certification standards that apply to airliners.

How has automation already changed the cockpit crew?

Long‑range airliners such as the Boeing Stratocruiser needed five flight crew members: two pilots, a flight engineer, a navigator and a radio operator. Better radios, navigation and system automation removed the last three roles over the following decades. Two pilots are still a legal requirement: EASA rules require them for commercial air transport in aircraft with more than nine passenger seats and in all turbojets.

Are airlines moving toward single‑pilot cockpits?

The idea has lost ground. In a May 2023 CNBC interview, Emirates President Tim Clark said “You might see a one‑pilot aircraft,” but added that it would take time, that passengers like to think there are two pilots, and that he did not expect pilotless airliners in his lifetime.

Manufacturers have studied extended minimum‑crew operations (eMCO), where one pilot flies the cruise alone while the other rests, and full single‑pilot operations. EASA’s research project published its final risk assessment in 2025, finding situations in which safety equivalent to two pilots cannot be demonstrated, chiefly incapacitation detection, the loss of cross‑checking and sleep inertia. In June 2025, EASA paused its eMCO work until flight decks have proven systems for workload management, pilot health monitoring and automated safety backups.

At the 2025 ICAO Assembly, pilot and controller federations IFALPA, ITF and IFATCA argued that eMCO lacks maturity and proof of safety. In the U.S., the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 became law on February 3, 2026; according to the Air Line Pilots Association, it directs the FAA to ensure at least two qualified, fully rested pilots on commercial airline flight decks at all times.

Where is AI already useful in aviation?

How will regulators approve AI in the cockpit?

Certification relies on predictable, explainable behavior, which is harder to show for systems that learn from data. EASA’s AI Roadmap 2.0 (May 2023) sorts AI by how much authority it has:

LevelWhat the AI doesEASA’s indicative timeline
Level 1 (1A, 1B)Assists the human with information and decisions2023–2025 onward
Level 2 (2A, 2B)Cooperates or collaborates with the human, who keeps oversight2025–2035 onward
Level 3ADecides and acts; the human can override2035–2050 onward
Level 3BDecides and acts; the human cannot override2035–2050 onward

The roadmap foresaw AI support for reduced‑crew operations around 2035, calling it a prediction, not a formal target, and said full autonomy for airlines may slip beyond 2050. EASA has since proposed rules on AI trustworthiness (NPA 2025‑07, November 2025) and a proposed Issue 03 of its AI Concept Paper (June 2026).

The FAA’s Roadmap for AI Safety Assurance, Version I (July 2024) sets principles including treating AI as a tool rather than a human, assuring fixed “learned” AI separately from “learning” AI, and introducing AI incrementally, starting with lower‑risk uses.

Will passengers trust an AI pilot?

Not yet. A Kingston University study published in December 2025 found that only 23% of 312 respondents would fly on a pilotless passenger aircraft, citing safety, cybersecurity and the loss of human judgment. Of 15 pilots interviewed, 80% opposed removing human pilots entirely.

So when will AI fly passenger planes?

Not soon, and not alone. Over the next decade AI is likely to grow as an assistant in planning, monitoring and decision support. Reduced‑crew operations are on hold in Europe and constrained by law in the U.S., and EASA’s roadmap places advanced airline automation after 2035 and full autonomy around or after mid‑century. Until then, AI will serve the crew rather than replace it.

Frequently asked questions

Has AI ever flown a plane by itself?

Yes, in military testing. AI agents flew the X‑62A VISTA, a modified F‑16, for more than 17 hours in December 2022 and later flew dogfights against a human‑piloted F‑16, with a pilot on board to take over if needed.

Are single‑pilot airliners allowed?

No. EASA paused its work on reduced‑crew operations in June 2025 after its research could not show equivalent safety to two pilots, and a U.S. law enacted in February 2026 directs the FAA to ensure at least two pilots on commercial airline flight decks.

What are EASA’s AI levels for aviation?

Level 1 AI assists the human, Level 2 teams with the human under human oversight, and Level 3 performs advanced automation, overridable by the human at Level 3A and not overridable at Level 3B. EASA’s roadmap places Level 3 between 2035 and 2050 onward.

How do airlines use AI today?

Mainly behind the scenes, for example in flight planning. Alaska Airlines reported that AI‑optimized routes from Air Space Intelligence saved about 1.2 million gallons of fuel in a year, with dispatchers deciding whether to accept each suggested route.

Would passengers fly on a pilotless plane?

Most say no. A Kingston University survey published in December 2025 found that 23% of 312 respondents would be willing to fly on a pilotless passenger aircraft, citing safety, cybersecurity and human judgment as concerns.

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