Berlin – Germanwings said comments by a French authorities that the co-pilot appeared to have deliberately crashed flight 4U9525 into a mountain were shocking.
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“We have just learned of the shocking comments of the French prosecutor in which is said that the co-pilot apparently deliberately crashed the plane,” the Lufthansa budget unit said via its Twitter feed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims.”
German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, 28, left in sole control of the Airbus A320 after the captain left the cockpit, refused to re-open the door and operated a control that sent the plane into its final, fatal descent, the prosecutor told a news conference.
The French prosecutor said Lubitz was not known as a terrorist and there were no grounds to consider the crash as a terrorist incident. Recordings suggested passengers’ screams began just before the final impact, he said.
Lufthansa said the co-pilot took a break from his training six years ago, but passed all necessary checks to fly.
The co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, broke off his training for several months, but Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said this was not unusual, highlighting that the airline picks its crew very carefully and subjects them to psychological vetting.
“No matter your safety regulations, no matter how high you set the bar, and we have incredibly high standards, there is no way to rule out such an event,” Spohr said