Regulations and Government
EASA Changes Position on Minimum Cockpit Occupancy
Agency recommends two crewmembers on flight deck at all times

Reacting to Tuesday’s crash of Germanwings flight 9525, the European Aviation Safety Agency today issued a temporary recommendation for airlines to ensure that at least two crewmembers, including at least one qualified pilot, remain in the cockpit at all times during flight operations. EASA added that airlines should “re-assess” the safety and security risks associated with a flight crew leaving the cockpit due to operational or physiological needs.

“The agency makes this recommendation based on the information currently available following the dramatic accident of the Germanwings flight 4U9525, and pending the outcome of the technical investigation conducted by the French Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses (BEA),” it said in a statement issued Friday. “This recommendation may be reviewed in the light of any new information concerning the accident.”