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There is no single global rule requiring two people to remain in an airline cockpit whenever one pilot leaves. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) currently recommends at least two authorised people in the flight crew compartment, including a pilot at the controls, but says its recommendation is not mandatory. The US and Canadian rules examined here do not set out the same general extra-person requirement.
The policy has a clear safety rationale: someone remains available if the pilot at the controls becomes incapacitated or the pilot outside cannot regain cockpit access. But the available sources do not quantify how many lives the policy saves. Whether it is used depends on local rules, regulator guidance and an airline’s own procedures, as well as how the airline manages the added person’s duties and risks.
What the two-person cockpit rule means
When a flight crew member leaves the flight deck, the procedure keeps a second authorised person there with the remaining pilot. Under EASA’s current recommendation, the second person need not be another pilot, but at least one pilot must remain at the controls. This is not a requirement for two pilots to sit at their stations every moment: ordinary flight rules allow certain absences for duties or physiological needs, and qualified relief arrangements may apply during rest.
Having someone else present does not by itself make the procedure safe. The operator needs to define that person’s responsibilities, manage secure cockpit entry and exit, prevent interference with the controls, establish emergency communications and train anyone who may be assigned the role.
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Why isn’t it a rule everywhere?
Recommendations and laws have different force
EASA’s current position is a preferred approach, not a binding requirement. Its Safety Information Bulletin, issued 18 May 2026, says: “This is information only. Recommendations are not mandatory.” EASA also says the concern does not currently warrant a Safety Directive.
The US rule at 14 CFR 121.543 and Canada’s CAR 705.29 address flight crew members remaining at their assigned stations, subject to specified exceptions. Neither provision states a general requirement for an additional person to stay on the flight deck when a pilot leaves. That describes those provisions; it does not establish what every airline’s operating manual requires or cover every type of flight operation.
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Regulators weigh both the protection and the operational risks
A second person may be able to help if the remaining pilot is incapacitated or the pilot outside cannot regain access. But the additional person also has to enter and leave a secure area without creating a new access problem, distracting the pilot or accidentally affecting the controls. An airline must make the procedure workable for its aircraft, crew and emergency arrangements.
There can also be a cabin consequence if the person assigned to the cockpit role is a flight attendant. Transport Canada’s review identified the possibility of taking a cabin crew member away from cabin duties. EASA’s guidance addresses related concerns through procedures for workload, training, communications and cockpit access. These practical trade-offs are reasons to design and assess the procedure, not evidence that airlines reject it for cost or disregard safety.
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How the policy changed after Germanwings Flight 9525
The modern debate intensified after the March 2015 Germanwings Flight 9525 crash, in which a pilot outside the cockpit could not regain access. EASA initially recommended keeping two crew members on the flight deck, including at least one qualified pilot. It later replaced that immediate recommendation with guidance for operators to assess safety and security risks and decide whether to use the procedure.
Canada issued a 2015 interim order requiring one flight crew member and another authorised person to remain on the flight deck when a pilot left. The order was described as a temporary measure while longer-term regulatory policy was considered. It should not be treated as proof of a current general Canadian requirement: the current CAR 705.29 provision cited above does not repeat it.
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EASA’s Safety Information Bulletin 2016-09R1, issued 18 May 2026, now again identifies two-person occupancy as its preferred approach. It says operational experience, safety data and feedback from authorities and operators indicate that risks introduced by the policy have not outweighed the risk of a crew member being locked out, provided the procedure is implemented with suitable safeguards. That is EASA’s assessment; the bulletin does not give a numerical estimate of the policy’s effect.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the current rules say in the jurisdictions covered
| Jurisdiction and source | What the source says | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| EASA, Safety Information Bulletin 2016-09R1, issued 18 May 2026 | Recommends at least two authorised people in the flight crew compartment during flight, with at least one pilot at the controls. The bulletin says its recommendations are not mandatory. | An agency recommendation, not a binding universal rule. |
| United States, 14 CFR 121.543 | Requires flight crew members to remain at assigned stations, subject to exceptions for duties, physiological needs and qualified relief during rest. It does not state a general extra-person occupancy requirement. | This section does not establish what every airline manual requires or cover all US flight operations. |
| Canada, CAR 705.29 | Requires flight crew members to remain at their stations, subject to specified exceptions. It does not state a general second-person occupancy requirement. | The 2015 interim order is historical; this current provision does not restate that general requirement. |
This comparison is limited to the cited EASA guidance and US and Canadian provisions. It is not a survey of every country’s rules or every airline’s internal procedures. Requirements and practices can differ between carriers in the same jurisdiction.
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Does the rule save lives?
The safety case is plausible: a second authorised person may provide help if the pilot at the controls becomes incapacitated, or reduce the risk that the pilot outside is locked out. EASA describes the overall likelihood of pilot incapacitation or intentional acts as “very low,” but the cited bulletin passage gives no numerical probability.
Nor do the cited sources provide a numerical estimate of lives saved by the two-person procedure itself. EASA says available experience and feedback have not shown policy-related risks outweighing the locked-out crew risk; that is a regulator’s assessment, not a quantified causal study. So “saves lives” is best understood as the policy’s safety rationale, not a measured figure established by these sources.
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