Debate on passenger safety has again gained ground worldwide following the March 24 crash of a Germanwings A320 in Southern France, which killed all 150 people on board.
Preliminary cockpit voice recorder (CVR) analysis revealed that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was alone in the cockpit at the time of the crash; the flight’s captain was apparently locked out.
It was also revealed that the co-pilot “deliberately caused” the aircraft to descend to an alarmingly low altitude and crashed it on to the southern French Alps.
Questions are now being raised as to whether airlines need to adopt more stringent psychological testing of pilots.
Many airlines around the world have already decided to tighten the cockpit procedures and other safety rules following the crash.  
US airlines have long required another crew member, such as a flight attendant, to enter the cockpit when one of two pilot exits. The crew member must lock the door and remain inside until the pilot returns, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.
Any procedural change will obviously strengthen the global aviation protocols and mitigate risks posed by one pilot becoming incapacitated while operating an aircraft.
An aviation industry task force recently recommended that airlines should install available flight-tracking systems within 12 months (by end-2015) following the disappearance of a Malaysian jetliner (MH370) with some 239 people on board in March last year.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade body that represents some 250 airlines around the world, said the working group - comprising representatives of airlines, pilots, air traffic control and airplane manufacturers - had agreed that it should be possible to track each aircraft to the nearest nautical mile throughout any potential journey.
“Airlines are taking the tracking issue very seriously,” IATA director general and CEO Tony Tyler said.
Tyler called the Germanwings accident  “an unthinkable tragedy” and stressed the importance of a full and complete investigation.
Responding to the accident, Tyler said safety remained the industry’s “top priority.”
The European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents more than 38,000 pilots across Europe, insisted that thorough analysis of technical data from the flight data recorder as part of an unbiased, independent investigation would be “crucial” in verifying what happened.
Flight deck changes introduced to aircraft in the wake of the 9/ 11 terrorist attacks in the US meant the cockpit door was impenetrable to those on the other side.
But it is an irony that measures implemented to ensure the safe passage of aircraft and passengers had ultimately cost the lives of 150 people!
Clearly, the safety of passengers and crew is paramount and non-negotiable.