The company has also introduced a couple of features that will make flying easier and safer for pilots, most notably the screen area in the flight deck is more than double the surface area than on other aircraft.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Robots are spreading in the civilian world, too, from the flight deck to the operating theatre (see article).

ECONOMIST: Robot ethics

"Valuable time is gained in deterring the movement of an unauthorized individual towards the flight deck, " the report said.

CNN: Pilots: Cockpits remain vulnerable to terrorist assault

Aviation agencies in Europe and the US are keen to quiz a hacker who targeted flight deck computers.

BBC: Hacker targets flight deck computer systems

It said all flight deck crews had since been assessed for competence in the UK, Germany and other EU states.

BBC: Fake airline pilot 'landed planes at Gatwick'

But, President George W. Bush said on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, Iraq was just one battle in a war that stretches around the world.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: ��Battle of Iraq�� turns tide in World War IV

In 2011 the captain of a Boeing 767 was unable to gain re-entry to the flight deck having taken a short break, with the plane airborne over the London area.

BBC: Plane taking off