Statement of the IFALPA Conference, Madrid, 13 April 2015

We, the world’s professional pilots are united in our sadness about the tragedy of Germanwings flight 4U9525. The alleged fate of this flight, as outlined by the French prosecutors, is beyond our comprehension, and would constitute an extremely isolated case.

Every day, we accept the trust placed in us by our passengers. As pilots, we have flown and will continue to fly them safely, efficiently and comfortably to their destination - every single flight, every single day.

Any accident investigation has to be performed according to internationally agreed principles as laid out in ICAO Annex 13. So far, this investigation has not met these standards. Leaks of pro- tected information, media pressure, and political considerations all damage the hard won environ- ment in which the aviation industry has agreed to cooperate in analysing accidents and developing solutions. The latter is the very basis that makes flying the safest way of travel.

Only the final outcome of the investigation will allow firm conclusions to be drawn and to identify adequate solutions. The process of drafting such solutions has to be done in a combined effort by regulators, the aviation industry and the community of pilots.

This is a prerequisite to ensure that our passengers can continue to trust in the highest level of safety in air travel.