An Air Canada Jet taking off from Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia. The silver plane has her nose heading to the air. Below is the control tower and airport terminal.

An Air Canada jet takes off from Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia.
Photo Credit: CP Photo / Andrew Vaughan

New rules announced for Canadian plane crews

Tuesday’s crash of a German jetliner in the French Alps has resulted in changes to aviation regulations in Canada.

Effective immediately, all Canadian airliners will have at least two crew members in the cockpit at all times.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt made the announcement Thursday in Ottawa.

Authorities in France say the co-pilot of the Germanwings plane locked the captain out of the cockpit before flying the jet into a mountain.

One hundred and fifty people died.

On Thursday, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board’s chief aviation investigator, Mark Clitsome, said there’s no reason for air travellers to worry about the psychological state of Canadian pilots.

Mr. Clitsome said he had no qualms about flying on Canadian airlines and that he is “absolutely” confident in current protocols to assess the mental state of commercial pilots in Canada.

German investigators are examining the background of Andreas Lubitz,
the 27-year-old co-pilot of the German jet.

They searched his home near Frankfurt on Thursday, emerging with blue bags, a large cardboard box, and a computer.

A neighbour described Lubitz as calm and low-key.

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