Germany plans legislation requiring random drug and alcohol testing of pilots, hoping to reduce the risk of a repeat of the Germanwings crash in March, Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt was quoted as saying on Sunday.
The plans follow the recommendation of a taskforce set up by the Transport Ministry, after a pilot barricaded himself inside the cockpit of a plane operated by the Lufthansa unit and crashed it in the Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
Germany's measures come after a panel of experts led by Europe's aviation safety regulator in July recommended improved psychological screening for new pilots, and called for the creation of a European database with details of medical visits plus better support networks to reduce the risks of a similar tragedy.
