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Germanwings crash: Timeline, figures and reactions

Source:Globaltimes.cn Published: 2015/3/31 17:05:19

              Latest updates

Update time: 11:00 GMT, March 31 

Around 15:30 GMT, March 31  Co-pilot of 4U9525 once in treatment of suicide risk: prosecutors
German public prosecutors in Duesseldorf said on March 30 that the co-pilot of the crashed Germanwings plane had received treatment because of suicide risk several years ago, but there was no proof he had had suicidal tendencies or aggression since then.

Around 2:30 GMT, March 30  Australian relatives of Germanwings victims to visit crash site
The relatives of the Australian victims of the Germanwings disaster said they will visit the crash site in the French Alps on Monday to pay their final respects.

Around 5:00 GMT, March 29 Germanwings co-pilot' ex-girlfriend recalls him planning something spectacular
The co-pilot suspected of intentionally crashing Germanwings' A320 aircraft in southern French Alps had told his girlfriend that he was planning to take a striking move so "everyone will know my name and remember it," German media reported on March 28.

Around 15:40 GMT, March 27  Hospital confirms to have treated Germanwings co-pilot
A hospital in Duesseldorf, Germany, said on March 27 that the co-pilot believed to deliberately crashed Germanwings A320 flight on Tuesday was its patient in the last two months.

Around 13:00 GMT, March 27  Duesseldorf investigators find torn sick-leave note of Germanwings' co-pilot, no suicide note
No suicide note was found in the Germanwings' co-pilot's home, but a torn sick-leave note prescribed by doctors was found, Duesseldorf prosecutors announced on March 27.

Around 11:30 GMT, March 27  Co-pilot of crashed Germanwings flight passed all tests: Lufthansa spokesman
The co-pilot, who appeared to have deliberately crashed Germanwings flight 4U9525 in the French Alps, had passed all Lufthansa tests, a Lufthansa spokesman told Xinhua on March 27.

Around 10:25 GMT, March 27  Police won't confirm mental illness of Germanwings co-pilot
There is no evidence to confirm that the 27-year-old co-pilot, who deliberately crashed Germanwings flight 4U9525 in the French Alps, was mentally ill, Duesseldorf police told Xinhua on March 27.

Around 9:00 GMT, March 27  Evidence shows Germanwings co-pilot mentally ill: Spiegel
After hours of house search on March 26 in Dusseldorf, investigators found evidence that the 27-year-old co-pilot, who have deliberately crashed Germanwings flight 4U9525 in the French Alps, was mentally ill, German media Spiegel Online reported on March 16.

Around 17:00 GMT, March 26  Germanwings co-pilot's home in western Germany under police surveillance
German police are keeping the Germanwings' co-pilot's home in the town of Montabaur, about 100 km northwest of Frankfurt, under surveillance.

Around 14:50 GMT, March 26 Germanwings' co-pilot 100 percent fit to fly: Lufthansa CEO
The co-pilot who was charged of deliberately crashing Germanwings A320 flight on Tuesday had passed all the flight and medical tests and was "100 percent fit to fly", said Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr on Thursday.

Around 12:45 GMT, March 26  Co-pilot of crashed Germanwings plane in service since 2013: Lufthansa
Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, unveiled information about the co-pilot of the crashed Germanwings flight 4U9525 on March 26.

Around 12:00 GMT, March 26 Co-pilot wanted to destroy plane: French prosecutor
French authorities said Thursday that the co-pilot of the crashed Germanwings flight was believed to have deliberately brought the plane to crash.

Around 0:00 GMT, March 26 Pilot locked out of cockpit before Germanwings crash: report
One of the two pilots on the crashed Germanwings flight may have been lock out of the cockpit before the plane crashed in the French Alps, the New York Times reported.

Around 21:00 GMT, March 25 US says three Americans aboard crashed German flight
Three Americans were on board a German budget airliner that crashed on Tuesday with all the 144 passengers and six crew members perished, the State Department said on Wednesday.

Around 17:00 GMT, March 25 Outer shell of second black box found: Hollande
The outer shell of the second black box of the crashed Germanwings aircraft was found, but no sign of the black box, said French President Francois Hollande.

Around 17:00 GMT, March 25 BEA manages to extract useful data from damaged black box of Germanwings plane: official
The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) managed to extract useful data from damaged black box retrieved Tuesday from the crashed Germanwings' A320, said General Director of BEA Remi Jouty in a press conference held Wednesday in Paris.

Around 15:45 GMT, March 25 Spanish police to analyze boarding, take-off of crashed Germanwings flight
Spain's Civil Guard on Wednesday announced it would analyze images taken by security cameras at El Prat airport during the boarding and take-off of the crashed flight.

Around 14:45 GMT, March 25 Germanwings unveils air crash victims' nationalities
German budget airline Germanwings unveiled Wednesday more details about nationalities of the victims of the flight 4U9525 that crashed Tuesday in French Alps.

Around 13:50 GMT, March 25 Chinese leaders send condolences to Germany, Spain over plane crash
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent separate messages of condolences to German President Joachim Gauck and Spanish King Felipe VI over the crash of a Germanwings flight.

Around 13:15 GMT, March 25 Death toll rises to 49 Spaniards killed in plane crash in France: Spanish gov't
At least 49 Spaniards were killed on Tuesday in a passenger plane crash in French Alps, the Spanish government reported on Wednesday.

Around 10:45 GMT, March 25 At least 3 Britons die in Germanwings disaster
At least three British nationals died in the Germanwings disaster, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Wednesday.

Around 10:30 GMT, March 25 Germanwings to operate most flights on schedule
German budget airline Germanwings said Wednesday that it will operate flights normally. "Following the incident in France yesterday, Germanwings cancels one flight today and operates the remaining flights according to schedule," said the Cologne-based airline in a statement.

Around 9:50 GMT, Two Moroccans aboard crashed Germanwings flight
Moroccan official media said that there were two Moroccans aboard the Germanwings flight. The couple named Mohamed Tehrioui, 24 years old, and Asmae Ouahoud El Allaoui, 23, had just celebrated their wedding recently in Barcelona and were in honey moon, it added.

Around 7:40 GMT, March 25 - Black box from plane crash dammaged but can be analysed: French minister
The black box recovered Tuesday night from crashed Germanwing's passenger jet was damaged, said French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Wednesday morning.

Around 4:30 GMT, March 25 - Two Japanese aboard crashed German flight: Foreign Ministry
The Japanese Foreign Ministry confirmed on March 25 that there were two Japanese aboard the Germanwings flight that crashed the previous day.  

Around 00:05 GMT, March 25 - Two Australians among 150 killed on crashed Germanwings flight
Two Australians were among the 150 people killed overnight when Germanwings flight 4U9525 crashed in the French Alps, Australia confirmed on March 25.

Around 21:00 GMT, March 24 - Crashed Germanwings plane in AOG mode on March 23: Lufthansa
Lufthansa, the parent company of budget airline Germanwings, confirmed on March 24 night that the Airbus A320 which crashed in southern France was in "Aircraft on ground" (AOG) mode on March 23.

Around 17:30 GMT, March 24 - The first black box found, March 24
The first black box of the crashed Germanwings flight, which has been found by gendarmes at the site of the disaster, is used for recording conversations in the cockpit, local media reported on March 24.

Around 17:00 GMT, March 24 - Airbus sends experts to Germanwings plane crash site
The European aircraft manufacturer giant, Airbus, said on March 24 it was sending experts to the French Alps where an A320 plane operated by German low-cost airline Germanwings crashed.

Around 15:50 GMT, March 24 - At least one Belgian killed in Airbus A320 crash in southern France
At least one Belgian was killed in a passenger plane crash in the French Alps on March 24, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed to Xinhua.

Around 15:45 GMT, March 24 - More than 600 people mobilized for search and rescue operation of crashed plane
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 300 gendarmes and about 300 firemen are mobilized for the search and rescue operation of the Airbus A320 plane crashed in southern France.

15:20 GMT, March 24 - "No indication of a nexus to terrorism"
Bernadette Meehan said in a statement on March 24 "there is no indication of a nexus to terrorism at this time,” according to ABC News.

15:05 GMT, March 24 - First image of the crash site
A French newspaper has published what it claims to be is the first image of the crash site.



14:50 GMT, March 24 - No survivors found
A helicopter has managed to land near where the plane crashed. 

13:50 GMT, March 24 - Merkel to travel to plane crash siteGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said on March 24 that she would travel on Wednesday to the crash site of Germanwings flight 4U9525.

14:25 GMT, March 24 - No Chinese passengers on board
"There are no Chinese passengers, as far as we know today," a spokesman said at the Germanwings' press conference after the crash.

13:08 GMT, March 24
Malaysia Airlines sent out a tweet:" Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of those onboard Flight 4U9525. We are with you, @germanwings. stay strong"

13:05 GMT, March 24 - EU to assist in air crash probe: commissioner
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc on March 24 said on her official Twitter account that the EU would assist in investigating the plane crash in southern France.

12:45 GMT, March 24 - Germanwings confirmed: 150 on board, including six crew.
It is an Airbus A320 plane and was flying from Barcelona in Spain to Duesseldorf in Germany. There were 144 passengers and 6 crew members on board, said the company in its twitter account.

12:00 GMT, March 24 - No survivors from jet crash in southern France: press
"There are no survivors" from the jet crash which occurred on March 24 in southern France, said French Minister for Transport Alain Vidalies, cited by BFMTV.

Around 10:50 GMT, March 24
An Airbus 320 has crashed in the south of France with around 150 people on board. The plane operated by the budget airline Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, was on its way from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, CNTV reported.



              Crash details

Flight: Airbus A320
Flight number: 4U 9525
Company: Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline
Planned route: Barcelona to Dusseldorf
On board: 144 passengers and 6 crew members, no survivors expected

●It said 67 of the passengers were German.
●A high school class of 16 German students and two teachers were onboard the flight, confirmed Germanwings.
●Spain's deputy prime minister said 45 passengers had Spanish names.
Two Australians were among the 150, Australia confirmed.
A Danish citizen was on board the flight, loca media reported.
At least one Belgian was killed, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed to Xinhua.
●The Japanese Foreign Ministry confirmed that there were two Japanese aboard the flight.
●Moroccan official media said that there were two Moroccans aboard the Germanwings flight. The couple named Mohamed Tehrioui, 24 years old, and Asmae Ouahoud El Allaoui, 23, had just celebrated their wedding recently in Barcelona and were in honey moon, it added.
Three Americans were on board the crashed flight, the State Department said.
●There are no Chinese passengers onboard the flight, "as far as we know today", said Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann.

Process of the crash (source: Daily Mail)


              Response

Lufthansa/Germanwings
●Germanwings confirmed that its flight 4U9525 had an "accident" over French Alps with 150 people on board.
●Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr spoke of a "dark day" for the airline.
●German airlines have decided to introduce new cockpit rules following the Germanwings plane crash, German Aviation Association BDL said on Friday.

China
●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.
European Aviation Safety Agency
●European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on March 27 issued a recommendation that at least two crew members should be in the cockpit at all times of flight.
New Zealand
●Passenger jets operating in New Zealand must have at least two people in the cockpit at all times, New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced on March 27, after reviewing its rules in light of the Germanwings air crash in the French Alps.
Austria
●Austria's air authority on March 27 required the country's national airlines to always have two pilots in cockpit during a flight.
France
●French President Francois Hollande said he believed none of those on board the A320 had survived.
Germany
●Germany's Angela Merkel will travel to the crash site. She called the crash a shock which had plunged Germany, France and Spain into "deep mourning."
●A crisis team was set up by German Foreign Ministry to deal with a plane crash of German budget airline Germanwings.
Spain
●Spanish King Felipe VI, who is on a state visit to France, announced he decided to cancel his visit due to the crash of Germanwings flight 4U9525.
●Spain's Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria confirmed in a press conference that the country would hold three days of official mourning for the 150 victims.
US
●The White House said that no signs had emerged about terrorism linked to the crash of 4U9525.

         Budget airlines controversy

Statistics show that there are over 170 budget airlines in the world. Budget airlines make up around 30 percent of the US and European airline markets and about 20 percent in the Asia-Pacific region.
Media comments:
France-based Le Figaro:
Almost all budget airlines suffer from the same issues: low safety standards, relatively undertrained employees and older aircraft

China Business View:
There is no evidence to prove that budget airlines suffer from low safety standards. For example, Australia’s low-cost airline Jetstar was awarded the highest rating of seven stars from Airlineratings.com. Germanwings received six stars.

Chinanews.com:
The aircraft is the oldest among the Airbus A320 jets currently in operation, but European airlines, such as Germanwings, place great importance on maintenance.
How to reduce the cost?
Overhead:
Fleets of budget carriers usually have limited types of aircraft, and often purchase them in large numbers at a discount. Total flight time requirements for pilots is shortened, while logistics and maintenance are relatively simplified.

Airport fees:
Budget airlines save on fees by avoiding service to major airports. Instead, many opt for smaller airports and shuttling passengers on the ground.

Flight cost:
Normally budget airlines cut on cleaning cabins, reduce stand-by time and increase flight frequency. Companies also save expenses by cutting in-flight meals, drinks, newspapers and magazines.
Previous budget airlines crashes
TimeAirlinePlaceDeaths
2014/12/18Air AsinaJava Sea162
2007/09/16One-Two-Go AirlinesPhuket International Airport89
2005/08/16West Caribbean AirwaysVenezuela160
2005/08/14Helios AirwaysNorthen Greece121

              About the A320

The Airbus A320 series is the most popular single-aisle commercial jets and widely operated aircraft in the world. As of February 2015, a total 6194 planes are in service and 11,537 planes are on order.
Previous A320 crashes
TimeAirlinePlaceDeath(s)
2014/12/28AirAsiaJava Sea162
2010/7/28AirblueNear Islamabad152
2009/1/15US AirwaysIn the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan0
2007/7/17TAM Linhas AŽreasCongohas Airport in São Paulo198
2006/5/3Armavia AirlinesNear Sochi, Russia113


Web editor: yangruoyu@globaltimes.com.cn
Posted in: Daily Specials