Abstract
Since its founding in 1948, IFALPA has always striven to be at the forefront of developments within aviation. In some areas of this endeavour there have been dramatic changes in air navigation, the pace has been gradual with periodic step changes. However, in recent years with the advent of the liberalisation of the airline industry there has been an unprecedented growth in air traffic volume. The growth has, at times, threatened to overwhelm the existing system capacity and a paradigm shift is required for the system to safely keep pace with the explosion in demand. Against this challenging background, and apart from Air Traffic Management (ATM) driven needs for new technologies there have also been developments in the military sector, specifically the growth in Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) technology which has entered the civil arena. Clearly, this also presents significant threats not only for the future of the profession but more importantly, the safety of the air transport system. While the vision originally outlined in this document was rooted in Air Traffic Management work it rapidly became apparent that the outcome of this technical revolution would have an impact on the profession in a much wider context.