Lufthansa, others adopt 'rule of two' for airline cockpits

The Lufthansa Group, which includes Germanwings, announced it will require two authorized crew members in the cockpit of its flights at all times. The decision comes following a plane that crashed in the French Alps reportedly by the co-pilot. Read more.....


U.S. rules already require at least two authorized people to remain in the cockpit at all times. For example, a flight attendant is to remain in the cockpit with a pilot if one pilot leaves briefly for food or the lavatory. Other regions have different rules, however, with many permitting a pilot to briefly remain alone in the cockpit.

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Now, regulators from some of those regions are taking a fresh look at those requirements.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommended on Friday afternoon that all European airlines require two authorized people in the cockpit of a commercial flight.

In a statement, the agency says it was making "a temporary recommendation for airlines to ensure that at least two crew, including at least one qualified pilot, are in the flight crew compartment at all times of the flight. Airlines should re-assess the safety and security risks associated with a flight crew leaving the cockpit due to operational or physiological needs."