Dave Vos, who leads Google's Project Wing, its experimental cargo-drone program, has stated that he would like to see automated flight extend beyond pilotless planes to commercial air travel.
"Let's take unmanned all the way," Vos said Tuesday in Atlanta during a panel discussion at the annual conference of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. "That's a fantastic future to aim for."
Vos said that he expects to see such aircraft in his lifetime.
Germany's air-traffic control agency has recently suggested that the aviation industry should consider systems to let ground-based operators take over during inflight emergencies.