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| Germanwings Crash Casts Pall on Lufthansa Anniversary | Germanwings Crash Casts Pall on Lufthansa Anniversary |
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| FRANKFURT — Lufthansa was supposed to be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its postwar rebirth this month. | FRANKFURT — Lufthansa was supposed to be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its postwar rebirth this month. |
| Instead, on Wednesday, the day of that anniversary, the German airline faced perhaps the worst crisis in its history after admitting that it was aware the co-pilot who deliberately crashed one of its planes in the French Alps last week, killing himself and the other 149 people on board, had a history of severe depression. | Instead, on Wednesday, the day of that anniversary, the German airline faced perhaps the worst crisis in its history after admitting that it was aware the co-pilot who deliberately crashed one of its planes in the French Alps last week, killing himself and the other 149 people on board, had a history of severe depression. |
| Carsten Spohr, the chief executive of Lufthansa, and Thomas Winkelmann, the chief executive of its low-cost subsidiary Germanwings that operated the flight that crashed, visited the French village of Seyne-les-Alpes near the crash site on Wednesday. They planned to meet victims’ relatives and workers involved in the recovery effort at the crash site, and to sign a condolence book in a local chapel, a Lufthansa spokesman said. | |
| Lufthansa said late on Tuesday that in 2009, Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot, had informed the flight school operated by the airline of a “previous episode of severe depression.” Mr. Lubitz provided the information about his depression after he had taken a break of several months from the flight school and was trying to resume his training, Lufthansa said. | Lufthansa said late on Tuesday that in 2009, Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot, had informed the flight school operated by the airline of a “previous episode of severe depression.” Mr. Lubitz provided the information about his depression after he had taken a break of several months from the flight school and was trying to resume his training, Lufthansa said. |
| The airline’s admission and the likely effect on its reputation come as it is facing a long list of serious challenges, including heightened competition in both short- and long-haul routes and tense relations with the pilots’ union that have led to a series of costly strikes. | The airline’s admission and the likely effect on its reputation come as it is facing a long list of serious challenges, including heightened competition in both short- and long-haul routes and tense relations with the pilots’ union that have led to a series of costly strikes. |
| The possibility that a pilot was able to hide problems well enough to keep flying could also blemish one of Lufthansa’s main selling points, its reputation for technical excellence and safety. Until last week, Lufthansa and its subsidiaries had not had a fatal flying accident in 22 years. | |
| Since taking over as chief executive of Lufthansa in May, one of Mr. Spohr’s responses to competition from no-frills airlines like Ryanair has been to put more emphasis on Germanwings. | |
| But already, questions were being raised about whether European procedures allow inexperienced pilots to have too much responsibility. Mr. Lubitz had 630 hours of flight time when, according to investigators, he steered the Germanwings flight to Düsseldorf, Germany, from Barcelona, Spain, into a mountainside. | |
| “How was it that this guy could have had only 630 hours and already be flying an A320?” said Amy Fraher, a former United States Navy commander and United Airlines pilot. “It is a big, sophisticated aircraft with a lot of power and, in this case, 150 people on board.” | “How was it that this guy could have had only 630 hours and already be flying an A320?” said Amy Fraher, a former United States Navy commander and United Airlines pilot. “It is a big, sophisticated aircraft with a lot of power and, in this case, 150 people on board.” |
| “It troubles me,” said Ms. Fraher, who also lectures at the University of Birmingham in Britain. | “It troubles me,” said Ms. Fraher, who also lectures at the University of Birmingham in Britain. |
| “The industry has been growing so fast, and it has become so competitive,” she continued. “I see evidence that, in the interests of cost-cutting, pilot training has become condensed” to a just a few years, rather than the seven or eight years that was once the industry norm worldwide. | “The industry has been growing so fast, and it has become so competitive,” she continued. “I see evidence that, in the interests of cost-cutting, pilot training has become condensed” to a just a few years, rather than the seven or eight years that was once the industry norm worldwide. |
| “Such an accelerated career path runs doesn’t give young pilots time to become more professional and properly seasoned,” she said. | “Such an accelerated career path runs doesn’t give young pilots time to become more professional and properly seasoned,” she said. |
| Others, however, dispute that Lufthansa’s training practices played a role in the Germanwings crash. | Others, however, dispute that Lufthansa’s training practices played a role in the Germanwings crash. |
| “We have no evidence there has been cost-cutting on safety,” said Christoph Drescher, general secretary of the European Cabin Crew Association, which represents flight attendants. | “We have no evidence there has been cost-cutting on safety,” said Christoph Drescher, general secretary of the European Cabin Crew Association, which represents flight attendants. |
| “The colleagues from Germanwings are very well trained,” Mr. Drescher said. “The regulatory standards are upheld and exceeded.” | “The colleagues from Germanwings are very well trained,” Mr. Drescher said. “The regulatory standards are upheld and exceeded.” |
| Mr. Drescher is also a representative of the German flight attendants’ union, known by its German abbreviation U.F.O., which has been involved in tense negotiations with Lufthansa. | Mr. Drescher is also a representative of the German flight attendants’ union, known by its German abbreviation U.F.O., which has been involved in tense negotiations with Lufthansa. |
| The German pilots’ union, known as Cockpit, has staged numerous strikes during the last year that have forced mass cancellations of flights. The strikes have cost the airline hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue, as well as the expense of rerouting or providing accommodation for passengers whose flights were canceled. | The German pilots’ union, known as Cockpit, has staged numerous strikes during the last year that have forced mass cancellations of flights. The strikes have cost the airline hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue, as well as the expense of rerouting or providing accommodation for passengers whose flights were canceled. |
| But the unions have rallied around Lufthansa and Germanwings since last week’s crash, and they have declined to criticize airline management. | But the unions have rallied around Lufthansa and Germanwings since last week’s crash, and they have declined to criticize airline management. |
| It is certain that the victims’ families will file lawsuits. However, Lufthansa shares were little changed on Wednesday, probably because most of the expense from lawsuits would be covered by insurance. The shares have fallen 7 percent since the beginning of the year. | It is certain that the victims’ families will file lawsuits. However, Lufthansa shares were little changed on Wednesday, probably because most of the expense from lawsuits would be covered by insurance. The shares have fallen 7 percent since the beginning of the year. |
| Until last week, Lufthansa as well as its subsidiaries Germanwings, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss had not had a fatal accident since 1993. Lufthansa’s worst fatal accident ever was in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1974, which killed 59 of the 157 people on board, according to Ascend, an aviation consulting firm based in London. | Until last week, Lufthansa as well as its subsidiaries Germanwings, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss had not had a fatal accident since 1993. Lufthansa’s worst fatal accident ever was in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1974, which killed 59 of the 157 people on board, according to Ascend, an aviation consulting firm based in London. |
| Lufthansa was founded on April 1, 1955, using the same name as a bankrupt predecessor. | Lufthansa was founded on April 1, 1955, using the same name as a bankrupt predecessor. |
| The company had already postponed indefinitely an anniversary celebration that had been planned for April 15. Instead, Lufthansa will take part in a memorial celebration for the victims planned for April 17 in the main cathedral in Cologne. | The company had already postponed indefinitely an anniversary celebration that had been planned for April 15. Instead, Lufthansa will take part in a memorial celebration for the victims planned for April 17 in the main cathedral in Cologne. |
| In the German town of Haltern am See, residents gathered on Wednesday to remember the 16 students and two teachers lost on the flight as they returned from an exchange with a Spanish school in a city near Barcelona. | In the German town of Haltern am See, residents gathered on Wednesday to remember the 16 students and two teachers lost on the flight as they returned from an exchange with a Spanish school in a city near Barcelona. |