European Aviation Regulator, Lufthansa Look into Two-Person Rule for Cockpits

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — In the wake of the Germanwings plane crash earlier this week, both the European Aviation Safety Agency and Lufthansa are looking into mandating two people be in a plane’s cockpit at all times.

The Germanwings plane crashed Tuesday in the Alps in southern France with 150 people on board, including two babies, the airline said. French President Francois Hollande said there were “apparently no survivors.”

Brice Robin, public prosecutor of Marseille, France, said in a news conference Thursday that Lubitz appeared to want to “destroy the plane,” purposefully locking the captain out of the Airbus A320’s cockpit and accelerating the descent manually.

The EASA said in a press release Friday that it would make a temporary recommendation for airlines to ensure that two crew members — including at least one qualified pilot — are in the cockpit at all times.

In the Germanwings crash, one pilot had reportedly left the cockpit to use the restroom, and Lubitz was left alone.

EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said that “while we are still mourning the victims, all our efforts focus on improving the safety and security of passengers and crews.”

While the EASA makes that recommendation, individual states will still have to require their airlines to follow the two-person protocol.

German airliner group Lufthansa released a statement on Friday saying that its group member airlines would adopt the “rule of two.” The move is termed a “precautionary measure.”

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