China urges to ensure 2 crew members in cockpit

BEIJING -- China's civil aviation authorities have again required that at least two crew members are in the cockpit of a flying civil plane at any given time, after Tuesday's deadly Germanwings plane crash.

It has been a long-held requirement in China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Friday.

The rule is in the operational handbooks of all Chinese airlines, and is routinely inspected by the CAAC, the statement said.

The CAAC issued a notice on Thursday asking local civil aviation authorities to strictly supervise the implementation of this requirement, following a plane crash on Tuesday in a remote area of the French Alps, which killed 150 people.

French and German investigators have found indications that the Germanwings co-pilot might have deliberately crashed the aircraft after locking his fellow pilot out of the flight deck.