Lufthansa Group subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has scrapped a rule that requires two people to be present in the cockpit of a flying aircraft at all times.
The new action was taken after an extensive safety and security review conducted by the airline, as well as coordinated with similar risk assessments by its fellow Lufthansa Group carriers.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The review concluded that the existing rule does not improve flight safety.
According to SWISS, the presence of two pilots in cockpit actually poses additional risks to daily flight operations in terms of safety.
SWISS has adopted its previous cockpit access provisions with the abolition of the rule, as well as various new safety and security measures to ensure safe flight operations.
The airline noted that it had met all the requirements demanded by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) before abolishing the two-people-in-the-cockpit rule, which was introduced as a precautionary measure following the deliberate crash of a Germanwings plane in 2015 by one of its co-pilots.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataInvestigations of the crash, which killed all the 148 passengers onboard, revealed that the co-pilot had previously been treated for suicidal tendencies.
In 2016, EASA revised its flight safety recommendation offering airlines the option of eliminating the ‘two-people-in-the-cockpit’ rule provided they met the relevant further criteria.
The criteria include the execution of a suitable selection process, and procedures to assess the psychological and safety-relevant demands made on pilots.
SWISS further noted that its decision to abolish the rule is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation.
