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Probe into Germanwings crash finds suicidal pilot solely responsible

German prosecutors said on Monday that they had closed a criminal probe into the Germanwings plane crash in March 2015 after concluding that the suicidal co-pilot bore sole responsibility for the disaster that killed all on board.

Probe into Germanwings crash finds suicidal pilot solely responsible
Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz. Photo: Facebook

The probe focused on whether any doctors who treated the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had been criminally negligent in not reporting him to authorities before the plane came down in France, killing 144 passengers and six crew, mostly from Spain and Germany.

“The investigation has shown no sufficient evidence of guilt by anyone still alive in connection with the Germanwings crash,” a spokesman for the Duesseldorf public prosecutor's office, Christoph Kumpa, told AFP.   

Lubitz, 27, deliberately flew the Germanwings plane into a French mountainside in a tragedy that raised questions about aviation safety and doctor-patient confidentiality.

Kumpa said the probe had determined that Lubitz's doctors knew he was “suffering psychologically” in the months before the disaster but that he had not been diagnosed as clinically depressed.

Rather, the investigators found, “the co-pilot did not tell the doctors treating him or anyone else in his personal life about his suicidal thoughts so that none of these people could have been expected to tell his employer or the authorities”.

The probe also concluded that Germanwings had “no knowledge of psychological ailments” suffered by Lubitz.    

French investigators have been carrying out their own manslaughter probe over the crash, and relatives of victims have filed a lawsuit against the Lufthansa-owned flight school that trained Lubitz.

The co-pilot was permitted to continue flying despite having been seen by doctors dozens of times in the years preceding the crash.    

Lubitz was terrified of losing his sight and consulted 41 different doctors in the previous five years, including psychiatrists as well as ear, throat and nose specialists.

Following the crash, the European Aviation Safety Agency recommended more medical testing for pilots, including more psychological tests and drug and alcohol screening.

Germany's doctors' association has criticised Germanwings parent company Lufthansa and aviation regulators for failing to keep Lubitz from flying, saying that medical controls focused largely on “physical findings and laboratory tests” but neglected psychological examinations.

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STRIKES

Over 180 Germanwings flights slashed as cabin crew strike continues

Cabin crew at Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings began a planned three-day strike Monday, with their union warning the industrial dispute could last longer.

Over 180 Germanwings flights slashed as cabin crew strike continues
A departure sign at Cologne's airport shows shows flights which have been cancelled. Photo: DPA

Daniel Flohr, deputy head of air stewards' union UFO, told public broadcaster ZDF “we could prolong it at short notice” short of concessions from bosses, although “we don't want that”.

A live list on the carrier's website showed 182 flights between major German cities like Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Munich were slashed as UFO called members off the job. As of Monday at 1 pm, 60 flights had been cut.

Some connections to cities in neighbouring Austria and Switzerland, including Zurich and Vienna, were also cut.

READ ALSO: When are airline passengers in Germany entitled to flight compensation?

Set to be folded into Eurowings over the long term, Germanwings operates flights on behalf of the larger Lufthansa subsidiary.

Approximately 15 percent of Germanwings flights will be cancelled or have been cancelled as a result of the strike, a company spokeswoman told the DPA.

“Of the planned 1200 flights during the strike, over 1000 will still be in operation,” said the spokesperson.

With a relatively small number of departures affected, there was little sign of the travel chaos that has accompanied previous broader-based strikes, and many travellers were able to book alternative flights.

Frankfurt airport — Germany's largest — said on its website it was a “normal day” with “occasional short waits at security checks”.

Germanwings bosses judge the strike over rules governing part-time work unjustified.

The labour dispute has already seen a short “warning strike” at four Lufthansa subsidiaries, while the group's flagship airline suffered a two-day walkout affecting 1,500 flights and 200,000 passengers in November.

After failed preliminary talks for an arbitration, UFO called for a strike of Germanwings flight attendants on Friday.

However Ufo warmed that “we fear that three days will not be enough,” said the union in a letter to its members, which was submitted to DPA.

READ ALSO: German union vow Lufthansa strike “in coming days”

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