Loved ones of those killed on Germanwings flight 9525 have come together to remember the deceased 10 years after co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately downed the aircraft.
On March 24, 2015, 150 people died after leaving Barcelona, Spain, for Dusseldorf, Germany when Lubitz locked himself alone in an Airbus A320 cockpit and flew the plane into the French Alps.
The French village of Le Vernet, which is located nearby the crash site, will be the focal point for remembrance on March 24, 2025, with 300 mourners expected to come together.
At 10:41, the time the tragedy occurred in 2015, those gathered at the private remembrance service in Le Vernet held a minute silence to remember their loved ones. Floral tributes were also presented at the Le Vernet cemetery.
Among the victims of the Germanwings victims were 16 pupils and two teachers from Haltern am See in Germany.
Acaba, a Le Vernet, l’acte privat d’homenatge a les víctimes de la tragèdia de Germanwings que es va produir avui fa 10 anys.
— Núria Peraire (@NuriaPeraire) March 24, 2025
Ara les families poden visitar el lloc de l’impacte i els diferents memorials que hi ha a la zona pic.twitter.com/FlVq5BkX0X
According to the German news agency dpa, on March 24, 2025, students in the town will lay white roses and local church bells will ring out to remember those who perished.
Additionally, commemorations will also be held at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) and Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN).
Accident investigators found that the Eurowings co-pilot Lubitz waited until he was alone in the cockpit and “intentionally modified the autopilot settings to order the aeroplane to descend.”
“He kept the cockpit door locked during the descent, despite requests for access made via the keypad and the cabin interphone. He did not respond to the calls from the civil or military air traffic controllers, nor to knocks on the door. Security requirements that led to cockpit doors designed to resist forcible intrusion by unauthorized persons made it impossible to enter the flight compartment before the aircraft impacted the terrain in the French Alps,” the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety said in its final report.
On March 10, 2015, a physician diagnosed Lubitz with possible psychosis and recommended psychiatric hospital treatment.
“No action could have been taken by the authorities and/or his employer to prevent him from flying on the day of the accident, because they were informed by neither the co-pilot himself, nor by anybody else, such as a physician, a colleague, or family member,” the investigation report said.
The report concluded thar Lubitz probably feared losing his right to fly as a professional pilot if he had disclosed his decline in medical fitness.