There Weren’t Rules to Stop the Germanwings Co-Pilot From Flying Alone

Should commercial airline pilots working in tandem—a captain sitting beside a first officer—ever be left alone on the flight deck? For many airlines, there’s no rule to stop a routine and temporary absence of one pilot during a flight. But the crash of a Germanwings plane into the French Alps, an apparent act of deliberate destruction by the co-pilot at a time when his senior counterpart was outside the cockpit, is likely to prompt a re-examination of airline crew policies in the age of fortified cockpit doors.

Reinforced doors spread to major airlines around the world in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but a parallel requirement for at least two crew members to be present inside the cockpit at all times hasn’t been adopted everywhere. All U.S. carriers must have two on the flight deck at all times. Lufthansa, the corporate parent of the low-cost Germanwings, does not have a rule against a lone pilot. In a sign of the changes prompted by Tuesday’s crash, Norwegian Air Shuttle announced on Thursday that it would begin requiring two crew members in its cockpits at all times "in light of the tragic Germanwings accident." Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said the nation has imposed a two-person rule "effective immediately" for the nation's airlines. Britain's Civil Aviation Authority told UK airlines to "review all relevant procedures" following the Germanwings crash; EasyJet has already mandated two people on its flight decks, the BBC reported. An Air France spokesman told Bloomberg News the company is reviewing its cockpit policy.