Alps crash: Air NZ rushes in cockpit 'rule of two'

The black box of Airbus A320 that crashed into a mountain, killing all 150 people on board. Photo / AP

Air New Zealand has tightened its cockpit security policy amid concern that a co-pilot deliberately ploughed his Germanwings aircraft into the French Alps.

As French prosecutors follow up indications from blackbox voice recordings that the flight captain was locked out of the cockpit of the Airbus 320 which crashed on Tuesday night, killing all 150 people on board, the New Zealand flag carrier has joined other airlines in changing its policy.

Captain David Morgan, Air NZ's chief flight operations and safety officer, said today the policy amendment meant at least two crew members were now required to be present at all times on each aircraft's flight deck.

If one of two pilots operating a flight needed to leave the cockpit for a short time, another crew member would be required to be on the flight deck during the other's absence.

The policy change was "effective immediately", Captain Morgan said, and followed a review of flight deck procedures in response to the European air disaster.

"The safety of our customers, staff and aircraft is paramount and non-negotiable and this procedural change will further strengthen our protocols and mitigate any risk posed by one pilot becoming incapacitated while operating an aircraft," he said.

Air NZ had its own mid-air scare in May last year, when a co-pilot was locked out of his cockpit for two minutes on a packed transtasman flight between Perth and Auckland.

The captain did not respond to requests to open the locked door, alarming crew, after he and his first officer were believed to have fallen out over a delayed take-off.

The co-pilot eventually used an alternative method to gain entry to the cockpit, which the airline would not detail for security reasons.
Both pilots were stood down after the incident, and their cabin crew offered counselling.