Iata has sought to reassure consumers of the safety of flying in the wake of the Germanwings crash which killed all 150 passengers and crew.
The message came as the senior prosecutor of Dusseldorf confirmed that “a torn-up current sick note, also valid for the day of the incident” was found in co-pilot Andreas Lubitz’s documents.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, this “would – according to preliminary evaluation – support the assumption that the deceased had concealed his illness towards his employer and his occupational environment”.
Germanwings confirmed that no sick note for the day of the tragedy was submitted to the company.
Iata pointed to the proactive approach being taken by carriers to ensure two flight crew are in place at all times following the French prosecutor’s revelations about the co-pilot of the Airbus A320 as being “characteristic of an industry that places safety at the top of its priority list”.
“With the prosecutor’s shocking revelations yesterday, individual carriers around the world are already looking at their procedures,” the airline trade body said.
The European Aviation Safety Agency said that it believed two crew members should be present in the cockpit at all times from now on.
Iata added that it was closely following developments in the investigation.
Director general and chief executive, Tony Tyler, said: “Words cannot adequately express the sorrow that we all feel. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of all those involved in this unthinkable tragedy.
“People should be reassured that flying remains the safest way to travel. Any accident is one too many. People can take further confidence in the well-established and constant determination of the aviation industry and governments to make this safe industry even safer.
“Each day about nine million people board aircraft as passengers. We work as hard as possible to earn and keep their trust by transporting them safely to their destination.”