Jetstar adopts new cockpit protocol after Germanwings crash

Singapore low-cost carrier Jetstar said on Tuesday that all its Jetstar Asia flights will require two authorized operating crew in the cockpit at all times from midnight on Tuesday, in response to the crash of German budget airline Germanwings flight 4U9525 which killed 150 people on board last week.

Under the new cockpit protocol, an operating crew member must stay at the flight deck before a pilot has any reason to leave. The crew member is not allowed to leave before the pilot returns.

The investigation into the crash of Germanwings flight 4U9525 reached an unexpected and mysterious turning point last Thursday as an audio recording from the plane's black box revealed that the German co-pilot deliberately crashed the aircraft into the southern French Alps after locking his captain out of the cockpit.

Following the incident, a number of airlines in Europe, including Norwegian Air, Easyjet, and Icelandair, have announced changes to cockpit procedures.

"The safety and security of our customers and crew are our number one priority," Jetstar said in its statement, adding that it extends "deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those on board flight 4U9525." Endi