A Lufthansa aircraft en route from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville in Spain, was reportedly left unattended without an active pilot in the cockpit for approximately 10 minutes after the co-pilot fainted.The incident that occurred on February 17, 2024 aboard an Airbus A321, which was carrying 199 passengers and six crew members, reported The Associated Press (AP), citing German news agency dpa, on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
The co-pilot lost consciousness while he was alone in the cockpit, with the captain temporarily away using the restroom, as per reports released by Spain’s Civil Aviation Accident Authority (CIAIAC).
Autopilot maintained aircraft stabilityDespite the critical situation, the aircraft remained on course and stable due to its autopilot system.Read more: Air France, Lufthansa, others avoid Pakistan airspace amid India tensionsThe CIAIAC investigation, as referenced by dpa, revealed that during the time the cockpit was unattended, the flight voice recorder picked up unusual sounds, which were indicative of a sudden medical emergency.Lufthansa confirmed to dpa that it has reviewed the incident internally through its flight safety department but refrained from sharing the findings of its internal investigation.Captain’s efforts to re-enter cockpit The captain attempted to re-enter the cockpit by inputting the standard entry code five times, each attempt triggering a buzzer for the co-pilot to unlock the door, as per the sequence of events described in the CIAIAC report.When there was no response, a crew member tried contacting the co-pilot via the onboard phone.Eventually, the captain used an emergency override code designed to open the cockpit door independently.Read more: IndoThai to take over Celebi’s ground handling business at Mumbai Airport However, just before the door would have opened automatically, the co-pilot, despite his medical distress, managed to unlock it from inside, dpa reported.Emergency landing in MadridFollowing his return to the cockpit, the captain diverted the flight to Madrid for an unscheduled landing. The co-pilot was then immediately taken to hospital for medical attention.While the flight landed safely and no injuries were reported among passengers or crew, the incident has raised fresh concerns around cockpit access and pilot health monitoring.First Published: May 18, 2025 12:15 PM IST
