Re-examining cockpit safety procedures and pilot medical requirements will highlight the agenda of the International Air Transport Association’s meeting next month in Los Angeles in the wake of the Germanwings crash, the group said Friday.
The association said it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the crash of Germanwings flight 9525 Tuesday and was closely following the developments in the case.
“Individual carriers around the world are no doubt looking at their procedures in light of yesterday’s shocking revelations. And topics emerging from this tragedy will be on the agenda of IATA’s Operations Committee when it meets in Los Angeles in mid-April,” the association said.
The group is the world’s largest airline trade association, representing more than 250 airlines accounting for 84 percent of total traffic. Its members are mostly international but include domestic companies such as American, Delta, United, JetBlue, US Airways and Federal Express.
The statement stressed that individual nations establish the safety procedures. “Airlines are licensed by national governments. At a minimum they comply with the safety regulations and procedures of those national governments. This includes procedures with respect to cockpit access and medical requirements,” it said.
The claim by prosecutors Thursday that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the chief pilot out of the cockpit and then intentionally set the plane to crash has placed a renewed focus on airline safety procedures regarding both cockpit security and pilot mental health. Lubitz’s apparent lack of motive has resulted in prosecutors probing into any potential health issues he may have had.
On Friday, Dusseldorf prosecutor Christoph Kumpa said Lubitz was given notes by his doctor, including one for the day of the crash, stating he was not fit to work. Lubitz apparently threw them in the trash. It not clear to to which illness the doctor was referring.
One of the factors in the crash was a cockpit door-locking mechanism that prevented the chief pilot from re-entering the cockpit once Lubitz sent the plane on its fatal descent. That locking mechanism is a standard feature on major airlines, intended to make it impossible for terrorists or anyone else to access the flight deck if the pilot doesn’t want them there.
The Federal Aviation Administration has required since 2002 that all airplanes flying in the U.S. include it for their cockpit doors. It also requires that anytime a pilot or co-pilot leaves the cockpit, another member of the flight crew must take their spot until they return, a policy intended to allow access to the cockpit if something happens to the remaining pilot. The policy is not common in other countries, and the German airline authority, Luftfahrt Bundesamt, does not have such a requirement.
