Germany to investigate airline security after Germanwings crash

[BERLIN] The German government will create a task force with the country's airlines to examine security measures in the aftermath of last week's Germanwings crash.

Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the panel will review safety requirements, including the cockpit door lock, health testing for airline personnel and procedures used to detect psychological distress.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the owner of Germanwings, said this week that the co-pilot suspected by investigators of crashing Flight 9525 into the French Alps had informed the airline's flight school six years ago that he battled depression.

Voice recordings indicate Andreas Lubitz locked his captain out of the cockpit before directing the plane into a mountain slope, killing himself and 149 passengers and crew.

"We're in agreement that the high security standards should also be up for discussion as we move forward," Mr Dobrindt told reporters on Thursday in Berlin alongside the president of the German Aviation Association, or BDL, Klaus-Peter Siegloch.

Mr Dobrindt said the government is also considering requiring passengers to provide identification on boarding within Europe's 26-nation border-free travel zone, known as the Schengen area.

BLOOMBERG