Airbus is ready for pilotless jets: Are you?

The chief salesman for Airbus says his company already has the technology to fly passenger planes without pilots at all — and is working on winning over regulators and travelers to the idea. Christian Scherer also said Monday that Airbus hopes to be selling hybrid or electric passenger jets by around 2035. While the company is still far from ready to churn out battery-operated jumbo jets, Scherer said Airbus already has "the technology for autonomous flying" and for planes flown by just one pilot. "This is not a matter of technology — it's a matter of interaction with the regulators, the perception in the traveling public," he said. "When can we introduce it in large commercial aircraft? That is a matter we are discussing with regulators and customers, but technology-wise, we don't see a hurdle." Several manufacturers are presenting unmanned aircraft at the Paris Air Show, primarily for military purposes — and some are also proposing pilotless "air taxis" of the future. When it comes to autonomous passenger jets, safety is an obvious concern. It's an issue that is on many minds after two deadly crashes of the Boeing 737 Max jet that have implicated problematic anti-stall software. Scherer said the crashes "highlighted and underlined the need for absolute, uncompromising safety in this industry, whether from Airbus, Boeing or any other plane." While he said Airbus' sales streategy hasn't changed as a result of the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, "there is a capacity need that materialized as a result of this, and naturally you have airlines that are frustrated over capacity, that are looking for answers."<br/>