As artificial intelligence (AI) expands and catapults the revenue of companies linked to the technology sector, airlines have turned their attention to the tool as a way to streamline their operations. There are those who even talk about the possibility of planes having just one pilot in the not-so-soon future.
Azul, for example, decided to use a service that, through artificial intelligence and cameras, monitors objects and employees around its aircraft when they are parked in the boarding area at Viracopos airport and indicates possible failures.
The tool was hired in September last year, but required approximately five months of training with images from the site to start working effectively this year. The company, which says it carries out 180 to 200 takeoffs per day in Viracopos at certain times of the year, considers the terminal in the interior of São Paulo to be the most important for its route network.
With the new infrastructure, developed by the startup WeSafer, every element around the plane is noticed: vehicles that transport fuel, beacons and trucks, for example. There are 26 cameras available at 13 airport gates, and the company expects the number to reach 40 cameras by the end of the year.
Daniel Tkacz, vice president of operations at Azul, says that monitoring allows you to avoid delays and save fuel costs, for example.
A very common problem was the delay for the beacon to position itself and guide the plane to the boarding and disembarking gate – a setback reduced by 80%, according to Tkacz.
“He has to be there three to five minutes before [da aeronave chegar] to prevent the plane from having to stop. Every time he stops, he has to accelerate again. This uses more fuel and wastes time. Think of a Formula 1 pit stop, but in a longer time”, says Tkacz.
Also this year, Latam announced a similar technology, tested and developed for around twelve months, for Guarulhos airport, the company’s largest hub. Just like Azul’s tool, the company’s equipment accompanies processes such as docking at the boarding gate and supplying the aircraft with ground resources, such as air conditioning and electrical energy.
Gol said, in a note to Sheetwhich uses machine learning, an arm of artificial intelligence, to determine the ground time required to carry out the turnaround —the aircraft pit-stop— and the probability of a flight delay, among other applications.
The discussion about the uses of artificial intelligence is not new and has been gaining strength in the sector recently, as the technology gains more visibility.
Asked by a journalist about the possibility of the pilot and co-pilot being replaced by artificial intelligence, the president of Emirates, Tim Clark, stated in an interview with an American television channel in May that an aircraft could be flown with just one pilot . According to him, however, this will take time.
“You could see an aircraft with just one pilot. But even that will probably take time. Could the plane fly entirely on autopilot? Yes, it could. The technology is there and could be improved with AI. That’s insight, but there will always be someone on the flight. But I’m in 2023. What will happen in 2050 or after that I have no idea,” he said.
Although they do not specifically mention the use of artificial intelligence, entities and agencies around the world are already debating the topic. Easa (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), for example, states that it is evaluating eMCO operations with greater intensity, a term used for flights with only one pilot in control, but only during the least critical period – that is, even would require assistance from more professionals during takeoff and landing.
It is different from a SiPo operation, whose flight remains with a single pilot throughout its duration. In a note, Easa says that there is some consideration of SiPo, but only for cargo planes.
“Even recent generation aircraft such as the Airbus A350 would require enhancements and design features or systems that are not currently required to ensure that they can be operated safely in an eMCO operation. Future aircraft could be designed taking into account such operations from the beginning,” the agency wrote in response to the report.
In a note, Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) said that, as it is a tool on the rise, with new applications emerging at an accelerated pace, artificial intelligence needs to be “carefully evaluated so that the results of its implementation are permanent over the long term.” term, ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements and possibilities for expansion”. The agency said it is keeping an eye on these developments.
Daniel Tkacz, from Azul, says that, despite the advances, the chances of something like this gaining ground in the airline sector in the short and medium term are remote. He states that the presence of more than one pilot is crucial for unexpected moments, such as when the commander becomes ill.
“Perhaps [aconteça com] small planes, cargo ships. It’s the same discussion as autonomous cars. It’s still very embryonic,” he says.
