Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, has joined several airlines around the world in introducing new rules that require two authorized crew members in the cockpit of its flights at all times.
The move comes after Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed Tuesday, killing 150 people. Investigators believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit before deliberately crashing the plane into the French Alps.
The U.S. and Ireland already had rules before Tuesday’s crash requiring two crew members to be present in the cockpit at all times, CNN reported.
Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said Thursday that a similar policy has gone into effect immediately, USA Today reported.
The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority said it was asking airlines to review their policies but has not yet enforced a change, CNN reported.
The European Aviation Safety Agency recommended that all its airlines adopt a two-person rule for commercial flights.
The BBC says: “Air Canada, Westjet and charter airline Air Transat, Norwegian Air Shuttle, major German airlines including Lufthansa and Air Berlin, EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Virgin and Thomas Cook have all confirmed they are changing their safety policies.”
Lufthansa said it will adopt the new procedure “as soon as possible” after working in coordination with the German Federal Aviation Office and the German aviation industry, USA Today reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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