Lufthansa to toughen up cockpit rules

Lufthansa said it will introduce new rules requiring two crew members to be in the cockpit at all times after one of the pilots at its Germanwings unit crashed a plane in the French Alps.

Lufthansa had said on Thursday it did not see any reason to change its procedures, but many other airlines soon moved to change their own rules.

"The passenger airlines of the Lufthansa Group will put this new rule into place as soon as possible in agreement with the relevant authorities," Lufthansa said in a statement on Friday.

The Lufthansa Group also includes Germanwings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss Air and Eurowings.