Tech boosts aviation safety, raises repair costs, automation concerns

Source: Business Insurance

November 05, 2019 More complex technology has improved safety across the aviation industry but is driving higher values and cost of repairs and increasing concerns about pilots’ overreliance on aircraft automation systems, according to a report from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Tuesday. The crash of two Boeing 737 Max 8 jets within five months in 2018 and 2019 and other high-profile incidents highlight the challenges of interaction between pilots and technologically advanced systems, the report said. “Overall, pilot training standards have changed and improved over recent decades, but systems can still fail or be incorrectly operated, albeit rarely, and there needs to be a continued focus on pilots flying with and without automation in training,” the report said. Pilots need to be better prepared to be able to take corrective actions in the event of a technical malfunction or adverse circumstance, the report said.