Civil aviation faces a major concern with a civilian pilot shortage, which has been a concern for air carriers who continuously need to expand their operation and network. Civil aviation authorities have strict rules and regulations to maintain flight safety and high standard practices, making it difficult for aircraft manufacturers to create new aircraft designs to meet some of the demands related to pilot shortage such as flying with a lower number of flight crew. A new approach to pilot shortage has been introduced by one of the biggest aircraft manufacturers called extended minimum crew operations (eMCO), which reduces the number of pilots required at the controls during the cruise flight phase. This approach is necessary for the future; however, it is not sufficient for the forthcoming challenges and also requires new regulations and policies to maintain the safety standards of this type of transportation. A survey was conducted to identify the technical, legal, and economic challenges that occur with this approach. Overall, the results of the analysis encourage the industry to advance in this direction.