Europe airlines announce new rule after news that Germanwings co-pilot may have deliberately crashed plane in captain's absence
After speculation that the co-pilot of the Germanwings aircraft that crashed in the French Alps may have deliberately taken the plane down after locking the captain out of the cockpit, several European airlines have announced plans to mandate the presence of two crew members in the cockpit at all times. Thankfully, such a rule already exists for Indian airlines.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which regulates civil aviation in India, has already mandated such a law. As per the Flight Crew Operations Manual (FCOM) and the Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEP) Manual of all aircraft/operators requires that at all given times, the cockpit has to be manned by minimum crew compliant. "In case a crew member has to leave the cockpit during non-critical phases of flight, the cabin crew is required to be inside the cockpit and occupy the observer seat. In no case will the cabin crew occupy the seats meant for cockpit crew," says a circular issued by DGCA in June 2010.
The circular goes on to add that cabin crew in the flight deck will have to remain vigilant in case of subtle incapacitation of the flight deck crew or any other situation that requires assistance. Further, the pilot remaining in the cockpit shall wear a shoulder harness, a headset and maintain a high level of alertness and situational awareness.
Many European and other airlines, including Air Canada, Air Berlin, Air Transat, Iceland air, Easy Jet and Lufthansa among others have decided to bring in changes in their policies, mandating the presence of two crew members inside the cockpit while the aircraft is in air. There is no such law at present in Europe. The change, emanates after the initial investigation into the crash revealed that the co-pilot allegedly plunged the plane into the Alps, killing 150 people on board, while the captain had stepped out of the cockpit.
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