Regional carriers say two-pilot policy already in place

Apr 12, 2015 News

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After it was determined that the co-pilot who flew the Germanwings aircraft into

the French Alps last month, killing all 150 people on board, may have done so intentionally, a number of airlines immediately put in place a ‘two pilot in the cockpit at all times’ policy.
European and Asian airliners were among those to quickly follow suit and it was required that airlines operating in these countries must have the rule in place. However, the policy seems to have already been instituted by prominent regional carriers, Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) and Fly Jamaica.
This was established during a special interview of representatives of both companies by the Jamaica Observer.
Two of Fly Jamaica’s senior captains – Paul Reece, also a principal shareholder and executive chairman of the Airline Company, and Neil Savory, the chief pilot, outlined important aspects of the company’s safety protocol to which pilots and cabin attendants are bound, once airborne.
The series of steps are designed both to ensure that no pilot is ever left alone inside the cockpit, and to prevent unauthorised passenger intrusion into that critical space.
The strengthening of cockpit doors to withstand gunfire and even grenade blast and the companion requirement for at least two persons to be inside the cockpit of commercial aircraft at all times were introduced by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in America.
“We have an established system of passwords to gain access to the cockpit,” Reece said, in confirming that his airline has been following the US regulation ever since it began serving the region in 2013. “The password is set daily.”
Fly Jamaica’s two carriers, are American registered, and regulated not just by the US FAA, but also the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), given that it is domiciled there. While civil aviation authorities across the globe mandate that commercial planes are fitted with virtually impregnable cockpit doors and that they remain closed for the duration of each flight, most countries up until the incident in March did not adhere to the two-pilot policy.
Former members of CAL’s in-flight team confirmed that the Trinidad-owned airline has an identical safety routine to Fly Jamaica’s. Patrick Barnes, president of Jamaican Airline Pilots Association and a former Air Jamaica pilot, said that the once national carrier introduced the policy of locked cockpit door after the 9/11 attacks.
Fly Jamaica’s Savory said that legal mandate aside, the policy that no pilot is to be alone inside the cockpit represents “a best practice regulation and for safety”. He added: “It could be a health problem, and you want to avoid a pilot being incapacitated and alone in there.”
For airlines that adhere to this policy, the safety protocol is triggered the moment the pilot or co-pilot expresses a desire to leave the cockpit for whatever reason. He alerts the purser via the in-flight intercom system, and she in turn seeks the assistance of another member of the cabin crew to position the drinks trolley across the passageway immediately leading towards the cockpit.
The purser uses predetermined code and password to alert the pilots of her presence at the door and will gain access once the pilot activates an electronic buzzer. Upon entering, she closes the door behind her and sits on a jumper seat. Only then is the pilot allowed to make his exit.
When he is ready to re-enter, the pilot on the outside alerts the cockpit and follows the same procedure used by the purser to gain entrance. She has the option of using the peephole to verify that an authorised person is on the other side of the door before disengaging the locking mechanism to allow him/her inside.
It was noted that not every airline takes the additional precautionary step of using the serving trolley to block the passageway between the galley and the cockpit, but Savory believes the additional layer is prudent. “The trolley is just another barrier. We use it to make it more difficult for someone wanting to force his way into the cockpit,” the Chief pilot noted.
Another safety practice is a requirement for flight attendants to check on the pilots periodically, especially on long-haul flights to ensure that all is well with them. It was pointed out that pilots on US carriers have been fired for taking unscheduled naps while at the control.
Last month’s accident forced several airlines to now sign onto the safety protocol of having two pilots in the cockpit at all time. Twenty-seven-year-old Andreas Lubitz crashed the flight from Barcelona in Spain to Dusseldorf in Germany by locking the pilot out of the cockpit after he exited. Lubitz was known to have suffered from depression.

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