German Airline Lufthansa Considers Unannounced Health Checks for Pilots

The random health checks on pilots is an effort to help reduce uncertainty over the pilots' mental health and reduce risks in the aviation sector.

German airline Lufthansa is considering the possibility of random medical checks for its pilots, after one of them deliberately crashed a plane in France in March, killing 150 passengers and crew on board.

“In contrast to other air crashes, no clear consequences can yet be drawn with regard to on-board safety from the Germanwings crash. But of course we are continually working on minimizing the risks of flying still further,” said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr.

Germanwings Co-Pilot Reported 'Severe Depression' During Training
The Germanwings co-pilot, who is accused to have deliberately crashed the flight into the French Alps, had informed Lufthansa about his mental illness.

Andreas Lubitz, co-pilot of a passenger jet of Lufthansa's fully-owned subsidiary Germanwings, is believed to have deliberately crashed the aircraft into the French Alps on March 24. He is thought to have a history of depression.

Lufthansa is weighing "unannounced health checks" of its pilots, which could be a possible way to help reduce uncertainty over the pilots' mental health, Spohr added.

In addition, the airline would examine very closely "under which conditions and in what exceptional circumstances doctors might have to be exempted from medical confidentiality obligations", he stated.

Doctors of German Pilots Urge More Medical Tests in Light of Recent Crash
Doctors from the German aviation industry want pilots to undergo more frequent, comprehensive lab tests to check for traces of psychotropic drugs and narcotics.

Source-Medindia

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