(Bloomberg) -- The aviation industry should consider implementing systems to take control of aircraft from the ground in emergencies following the crash of a Germanwings aircraft that killed 150 last month, said German air-traffic-control agency DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH.
“We have drones already, so the technology for operating an aircraft from the ground is available,” Chief Executive Officer Klaus-Dieter Scheurle said at a press conference today. “It is still a long way off, something for the next decade. The technology is rather complex and it would need certification. The first step must be thoroughly evaluating the pros and cons.”
A Germanwings co-pilot deliberately crashed an Airbus A320 into the French Alps in March after locking his captain out of the cockpit, according to investigators. That raised questions about how to prevent such incidents, and Scheurle said Langen- based DFS is participating in a German task force evaluating cockpit procedures and security rules.
Cockpit doors were strengthened and made bullet-proof following the September 11 terror attacks in the U.S. in 2001, which meant the Germanwings captain was unable to break through to get back onto the flight deck.
Scheurle said systems to ensure the flight management systems of an endangered aircraft would automatically land at an alternative aerodrome could also help prevent incidents such as a crash in Greece in 2005. That killed 121 people when a Helios Airways plane came down near Athens after fuel ran out and a loss of pressure incapacitated crew and passengers.
“There should be no ban on thinking about how to handle a plane in an emergency when the people on board cannot help,” Scheurle said. “Such incidents may and will occur again, and we must think about how to manage them so that nothing bad happens.”
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