Cross Crew Qualification for IATA
In the past, flight crew-related costs were a significant part of an airline's total operating expenses. This means that an airline's competitiveness will likely increase significantly through improved efficiency at levels of flight operations as well as pilot training levels.
The industry has seen rapid advances in the manufacturing process and system creation and uses that have made aircraft more efficient and complicated. However, to meet the necessity to reduce training costs for flight crews, OEMs have utilized techniques like flight guidance computers and "fly-by-wire" control laws that make different types of aircraft display different aerodynamic airframes and handling similarly and have flight characteristics that are identical. Furthermore, OEMs have used technologies in modern aircraft displays and systems to enable different aircraft to show a typical cockpit and system design to pilots. Both advancements provide commonalities across planes of different designs, which could enable credit to be given to airmen in the classification of types and during the training, checking as well as the currency and training of pilots who can help optimize training for transitions and mixed fleet flying. Regulators have also responded to these issues as they realized the importance and significance of "cockpit commonality." The first regulatory guidance issued in the mid-1980s demonstrated that these new technologies were safe and effective. Today, most national authorities offer consistent guidelines that apply to derivative aircraft and variants, particularly when crews operate multi-flottes in everyday operations.