Australia on Monday mandated that at least two crew members be present in the cockpit at all times in planes with 50 or more passengers operating in the country, in response to the Germanwings crash that killed 150 people.
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said Australia’s domestic and international airlines will boost their cockpit safety and security requirements, effective immediately.
“Australian airlines will immediately update their Standard Operating Procedures to require two members of the operating crew or authorised persons on the flight deck at all times,” Truss said.
“These arrangements will apply at all times, to all regular passenger transport services where the aircraft has seating capacity for 50 passengers and above.”
The announcement comes a week after the co-pilot of the Germanwings Flight 4U9525, Andreas Lubitz, locked his senior colleague out of the cockpit before he apparently crashed the plane in French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
French officials believe the downing of the Germanwings aircraft appears to have been a case of suicide and mass killing. Two Australians were among the dead.
“The Australian government and the aviation industry are taking a precautionary approach to ensure the ongoing safety and security of the travelling public,” Truss said.
