Computer system 'can land aircraft without air traffic controllers' by year 2020

Elizabeth Day of telegraph.co.uk said that British Aerospace scientists have developed a revolutionary airborne computer system that they claim can land aircraft safely without human air traffic controllers. It will enable a pilot to determine an aircraft's landing path simply by pressing a button in the cockpit.

The aim is to eliminate human error, save on fuel and increase flight safety. Wonder if they have done enough to ensure a failure proof system in the first place.

Illustration from Electronic Telegraph


Some facts from Computer system 'can land aircraft without air traffic controllers'
- The company plans to introduce the system, which has so far cost £76 million, half of which has been funded by the European Commission, in three phases.
- BAE plans a full-scale trial introduction for leading airlines by 2008.
- By 2020, they envisage that air traffic controllers will have been entirely replaced by the system, which will take all the decisions currently made by humans.
- If successful, it will also threaten the jobs of 40,000 air traffic controllers worldwide.

Note : 2020 is the Year for Malaysia >> Vision 2020