DUBAI: Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways said on Sunday that they will have two people in their passenger jets’ cockpits at all times, following last week’s Germanwings tragedy.
The UAE’s regulator is also taking action. The head of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) says it is in discussions with the European Aviation Safety Agency over the mental health of pilots and airlines’ cockpit policies, reported the local daily.
Reports following last week’s plane crash indicate that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of the Germanwings flight, deliberately flew the plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 passengers on board. Earlier investigations suggested Mr Lubitz was severely depressed. The plane’s black box recorder showed that he apparently locked the captain out of the cockpit when he went to use the bathroom, and then crashed the plane into the French mountain range.
Among the suggestions for this country’s cockpit crew is having pilots undergo “regular” psychological assessments, said Saif Al Suwaidi, the director general of the GCAA in the UAE.
“Once a year is not enough, we are studying what procedure could prevent such things from happening.
“If, for example, someone thinks he’s depressed, he would speak up and the company would understand,” he added.
