Air Malta joins airlines across the world changing safety policies

Following the tragic crash of the Germanwings Airbus A320 on Tuesday, which claimed the lives of all 150 passengers, Air Malta joined other international airlines in updating its cockpit policy.

“The devastating airline incident this week has sparked a discussion around the world about how crew policies can be improved to enhance passenger safety,” Air Malta's head of aircraft operations, Captain Patrick Calleja said.

The airline added that their thoughts were with the family members of these passengers as well as our colleagues around the world.

“In light of recent events, we have decided to make it compulsory to have two crew members in the cockpit at all times with immediate effect,” Calleja said.

Air Malta explained that this measure complemented other security procedures already in place, and that the crew had already been notified about this decision.

Other airlines across the world including EasyJet, AirCanada, Lufthansa and Virgin have also updated their cockpit policy.

This revision will mean that two crew members are always required to be on the flight deck, and it follows the news that co-pilot of the Germanwings Flight 9525, Andreas Lubitz, had locked himself in the cockpit before crashing the aircraft into the southern Alps.

EPP thinks having two people in the cockpit ‘makes sense’

In a statement, the European People’s Party said that it agrees with the recent cockpit policy updates requiring the presence of at least two people in the cockpit at all times.

“Such a catastrophe calls for a re-examination of all airplane security standards, in Europe and globally," Manfred Weber, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament said.

"This plane crash is an inconceivable tragedy. We are all deeply shocked. We should however wait for the findings of the investigation before jumping to any conclusions too quickly,” he added.

"In my view, a technical regulation making sure that there are always two people in the cockpit would make sense. The best thing to do would be to introduce such a rule globally through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The ball is in the European Aviation Safety Agency's and the Commission's court," Weber added.