The world's biggest pilots' trade union is again warning airlines and regulators against thinning out flight crews, pointing to the heroic efforts of pilots involved in the life-saving landing of a damaged US Airways aircraft in the Hudson River in 2009.
The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) said the incident, which was dramatised in the 2016 Clint Eastwood-Tom Hanks film 'Sully: Miracle on the Hudson', showed the need to retain "at least two fully qualified, highly trained, and well-rested pilots are on the flight deck".
On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles saved the lives of the 155 passengers and crew in what ALPA said was a "life-or-death challenge of losing both engines 3,000 feet above the Hudson River".
"There is no automated or remotely operated replacement for the collaboration, communication, and airplane feel made possible by having at least two pilots on the flight deck. To be crystal clear: The presence of two pilots on the flight deck saved lives that cold January afternoon in 2009,” ALPA said.
According to ALPA, the aviation industry is attempting to cut crew numbers to reduce spending. Airlines in the US have been embroiled in long-running salary and contract talks with pilots and other crew. The industry was hit hard by the worldwide travel curbs imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic and more recently by inflation, in particular rising fuel costs. At the same time, the boom in cargo work enjoyed by the sector in 2020 and 2021 has largely come to an end as shipping costs have fallen back towards pre-pandemic levels.