Portuguese airlines to have two crew members in cockpit

The Portuguese government on Friday introduced a new measure to ensure that there are always two crew members in the cockpit, following a plane crash in the Alps that killed 150 people on board.

The decision was taken by the Portuguese Civil Aviation Institute (INAC) and the measure will be applied to all airlines with offices in Portugal, including TAP, Portugalia, SATA, White, Euroatlantic and Hi Fly.

Meanwhile, the INAC said the level of medical evaluations will remain for crew members and air traffic controllers. These include collecting evidence of physical, mental and psychological fitness.

"It will now become obligatory for two crew members to remain at all times in the cockpit of the plane for safety reasons," Secretary of State for Transport Sergio Monteiro was quoted by Portuguese Lusa News Agency as saying on Friday.

He said the new measure would take effect immediately.

Airlines around the world are changing their procedures after an airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings carrier, flying from Barcelona to Duesseldorf and carrying 150 people, crashed in a remote area in the French Alps on Tuesday, killing all passengers and six crew members.

French air investigators have been examining one of the black boxes from the plane and have found that the co-pilot locked the pilot out of the cockpit and crashed the plane deliberately. Enditem