Can the Cockpit Be Empty When the Autopilot is On?
The autopilot has certainly made a pilot’s life easier but that doesn’t mean they’re completely off the hook. In a sense, an autopilot only does what it’s “told” to do so any changes that need to be made have to be input by the pilots themselves. So no a cockpit cannot be empty at any given time.
Of course, pilots are allowed to use the facilities but they have to take turns to do so. In recent times due to certain tragic incidents, many airlines have been forced to introduce the “two-person rule”. This means that if a pilot does leave the cockpit, they have to be replaced by another crew member.