Pilotless Planes carrying people and cargo might make a debut in the next seven years according to a report by the investment bank UBS.
The technology required to operate remote-controlled planes could appear by 2025 according to a new report by UBS. Further advances beyond 2030 might result in automated business jets and helicopters, and finally commercial aircraft without pilots, reports CNN.
Pilotless planes will held reducing the cost of flying as airlines will reduce the cost of employing pilots. The aviation industry could save $35 billion a year by moving to pilotless planes. The report further says that planes will be safer since issues such as pilot error and illness will no longer be an issue.
A research conducted in the United Kingdom found that more than half of people (53 percent) are unlikely to use pilotless planes.
Currently, commercial flights land with the assistance of on-board computers, and pilots manually fly the aircraft for only a few minutes on average.
Airlines do not fly on autopilot currently, they are constantly monitored and their navigation, systems and communication are constantly adjusted by pilots.
Cargo planes would likely be first to incorporate the new technology, with commercial flights being the last to go pilotless. The number of pilots needed for each flight could be reduced along the way.
