OCCCOneworld Cockpit Crew Coalition

Resource

The two-pilot flight deck

Two pilots on the flight deck are essential for managing emergencies. This page explains the coalition's position on Reduced Crew Operations and points to the external material behind the wider debate.

1. The coalition's position

Coalition advocacy

Reduced Crew Operations (RCO) represent an unacceptable safety risk to the traveling public. The OCCC stands firmly against any attempts to compromise passenger safety for cost reduction.

This is an advocacy position held by the coalition's member pilot associations. It reflects the views of pilots; it is not a regulatory finding.

2. External sources

Material produced by other organizations. The OCCC did not author these documents; each should be read in its own context.

  1. Pilot association position

    ALPA position on extended minimum crew operations (eMCO)

    Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA)

    ALPA article setting out the union's opposition to reduced crew concepts.

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  2. Pilot association position

    Human and concepts of Reduced Crew Operations (RCO)

    European Cockpit Association (ECA)

    ECA position and publication on the human factors raised by reduced crew concepts.

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  3. International assembly paper

    Working Paper A41-WP/323

    International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 41st Assembly (2022)

    A working paper presented to the ICAO Assembly in 2022 on reduced crew operations. A working paper is a submission to the Assembly, not an ICAO standard or regulation.

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  4. Regulator research

    eMCO–SiPO safety risk assessment

    European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

    EASA research project page on extended minimum crew operations and single-pilot operations safety risk. Research findings are not the same as adopted rules.

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3. What this page is not

  • Not legal advice. Crew requirements are set by national regulators and international standards. Advocacy positions and research reports do not change the law.
  • Not a summary of current regulation. For the rules that apply to a specific operation, consult the relevant aviation authority.
  • Not an endorsement by the sources' authors. Listing a document here does not mean its issuer endorses the coalition.