China has ordered its airlines to post two people at all times in cockpits of civilian planes after it was found that the co-pilot of a Germanwings flight deliberately crashed the aircraft after he was left alone, killing all 150 people onboard.
The co-pilot of the ill-fated Germanwings plane allegedly crashed after he locked the main pilot out of the cockpit.
The two pilot requirement has been a long-held need in China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said, adding that it should be strictly implemented.
The rule requires two crew members to always be in the cockpit of a flying aircraft.
The rule is in the operational handbooks of all Chinese airlines and is routinely inspected by the CAAC, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The CAAC issued a notice yesterday asking local civil aviation authorities to strictly supervise the implementation of this requirement, following a plane crash.
The 28-year-old co-pilot initiated the plane's descent while alone at the controls and refused to open the locked cockpit door for the captain, who was believed to have gone to the toilet.
French and German investigators have found indications that the Germanwings co-pilot might have deliberately crashed the aircraft.
