This isn't quite the same as pilotless flights on a day to day basis, but this article from 2006 makes for interesting reading:
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...jacked-210869/
Boeing last week received a US patent for a system that, once activated, removes all control from pilots to automatically return a commercial airliner to a predetermined landing location.
“Once the automatic control system provided by the present invention is initiated, no one on board the air vehicle is capable controlling the flight to the air vehicle, such that it would be useless for anyone to threaten violence in order to gain control the air vehicle.”
Have any of you folks heard about this?
It seems Honeywell has been working on a similar system with Airbus.
https://www.wired.com/2003/08/flying...on-auto-pilot/