The Social Acceptance of the Passivation of Misused Aircraft

Abstract

One procedure under consideration to handle the threat posed by misused aircraft is passivation. In a passivated aircraft no more inputs from the cockpit are accepted and the aircraft safely lands in the nearest suitable airport without intervention from the pilots. Aircraft passivation is a procedure to be used in an emergency situation and would be handled as such by all stakeholders (airlines, ATC, airports, etc.). This paper attempts to address for the first time the social acceptability issues facing passivation. It is assumed that the introduction of such a system in aircrafts will be a contentious issue expected to be met with strong resistance by pilots and the public in general. In this paper some of the technology under consideration is presented. This is followed by a discussion of the acceptance of similar technologies (UAV, driverless cars) before the social acceptance of passivation is discussed in more detail. Among the recommendations is the need to raise public awareness and familiarity with the technology. Pilots’ acceptance is also seen as essential. Once society trusts the technology behind the system and the risks are deemed small enough, acceptance of passivation under some specific conditions should be possible.