Qantas doesn't believe in single-engine aircraft, Joyce says

Qantas CE Alan Joyce has said his airline is “certainly not pushing” to have just one pilot in the cockpit of its aircraft. In a significant intervention, Joyce used the example of when one of the Flying Kangaroo’s A380 engines exploded mid-air to justify the importance of multiple pilots. “We had five amazing pilots in the cockpit, and without that, I don’t think that aircraft would have landed safely,” he said in a new interview. “We know that, and we’re very conscious of it.” It comes after more than 40 countries, including Germany, Britain and New Zealand, asked the International Civil Aviation Organisation to help make single-pilot flights a reality. The plan would save airlines millions in costs and help alleviate a global shortage of talent but has been criticised by planemakers, industry bodies and high-profile figures as endangering safety. IATA DG Willie Walsh said he doesn’t “ever” expect to see the move become a reality, while Boeing’s Southeast Asia president Alexander Feldman highlighted the “psychological barriers” in persuading consumers to go along with it. In November 2010, Qantas A380 VH-OQA was involved in arguably Australian aviation’s most serious-ever safety incident, when its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine exploded shortly after it took off, causing a major fire. Despite significant structural and systems damage, Captain de Crespigny and his colleagues in the flight deck — Qantas’ first A380 and named after Australian aviation legend Nancy-Bird Walton — managed to return to Singapore Changi Airport for a safe landing.<br/>