Editing Germanwings

{{Short description|Defunct low-cost airline of Germany (1997–2020)}}
{{about|the low-cost carrier of the Lufthansa Group|the 1980s airline|German Wings|[[Wing (military aviation unit)|wings]] of the German Air Force|:Category:Luftwaffe Wings}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline          = Germanwings
| logo             = Germanwings logo.svg
| logo_size        = 250
| fleet_size       = 33
| IATA             = 4U
| ICAO             = GWI
| callsign         = GERMANWINGS
| parent           = [[Lufthansa|Lufthansa Group]]
| destinations     = 
| company_slogan   = 
| founded          = {{start date|1997|||df=yes}}<br />{{small|(as a division of [[Eurowings]])}}
| commenced        = {{start date|2002|||df=yes}}<br />{{small|(spin-off from Eurowings)}}
| ceased           = {{end date|2020|04|07|df=yes}}<ref name="reuters.com"/>
| headquarters     = [[Cologne]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], Germany
| key_people       = Executive Board: {{ubl|class=nowrap
  | Michael Knitter
  | Francesco Sciortino }}
| bases            = {{ubl|class=nowrap
  | [[Berlin Schönefeld Airport|Berlin–Schönefeld]]
  | [[Berlin Tegel Airport|Berlin–Tegel]]
  | [[Cologne Bonn Airport|Cologne/Bonn]]
  | [[Dortmund Airport|Dortmund]]
  | [[Hamburg Airport|Hamburg]]
  | [[Hannover Airport|Hannover]]
  | [[Munich Airport|Munich]]
  | [[Stuttgart Airport|Stuttgart]]}}
| hubs             = 
| focus_cities     = 
| frequent_flyer   = {{ubl|class=nowrap
  | Boomerang Club
  | [[Miles & More]]}}
| lounge           = 
| website          = {{URL|www.eurowings.com}}
| aoc              = 
| num_employees    = 
| image            = 
}}

'''Germanwings''' [[GmbH]] was<ref name="reuters.com"/> a [[Germany|German]] [[low-cost airline]] wholly owned by [[Lufthansa]]<ref>"[http://www.germanwings.com/en/Imprint-Registered-office.htm Imprint] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009083836/http://www.germanwings.com/en/Imprint-Registered-office.htm |date=2014-10-09 }}." ''Germanwings''. Retrieved on April 29, 2010. "Head Office: Germanwings-Str. 2 51147 Cologne"</ref> which operated under the [[Eurowings]] brand. It was based in [[Cologne]] with [[airline hub|hubs]] at [[Cologne Bonn Airport]], [[Stuttgart Airport]], [[Hamburg Airport]], [[Berlin Tegel Airport]], [[Munich Airport]] and further bases at [[Hannover Airport]] and [[Dortmund Airport]].<ref name="FI">{{cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= [[Flight International]] | page= 86 | date= 2007-04-03}}</ref>

Germanwings operated independently as Lufthansa's low-cost carrier until October 2015, when Lufthansa decided to fully transfer the brand identity of its low cost short haul-product to Eurowings. After 2016, Germanwings operated as a [[wet lease]] operator for its sister company [[Eurowings]], with the Germanwings branding being phased out at this time. The IATA code "4U" continued to operate under the Eurowings brand until March 2018, when it was abandoned and replaced with the Eurowings designator ''EW''.<ref name="4UIATA"/> Germanwings was closed and merged back into Eurowings in April 2020 as part of a broad restructuring and the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="reuters.com"/>

==History==
===Early years===
[[File:Germanwings Logo 002.svg|thumb|Germanwings' logo used until 2013]]
[[File:Airbus A319-132, Germanwings AN1749519.jpg|thumb|Germanwings [[Airbus A319-100]], wearing the airline's first livery, in 2010]]
In 1997, [[Eurowings]] set up a low-cost department, which became a separate company under the name ''Germanwings'' on 27 October 2002. On 7 December 2005, the airline signed an agreement to purchase 18 [[Airbus A319-100]] aircraft with a further 12 [[option (finance)|options]], with deliveries scheduled from July 2006 until 2008.<ref>Aero International, June 2006</ref>

During winter 2004–2005, Germanwings leased two [[Boeing 717-200]]s from [[Aerolíneas de Baleares]] to test the aircraft type, but no order was made afterwards.

In 2008, initial plans were made to merge Germanwings, [[Eurowings]] and [[TUIfly]] into one airline to compete with [[Air Berlin]] and its subsidiary [[LTU International|LTU]] in the German market and with [[easyJet]] and [[Ryanair]] on international routes. However, these plans never realized. Instead, Germanwings became a wholly owned subsidiary of [[Lufthansa]] on 1 January 2009.<ref>[http://www.tui-group.com/en/pressemedien/press_releases/2008/20080129_tuitravel_strategy.html Announcement of TUI AG]. Tui-group.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-01.</ref>

===Takeover of Lufthansa routes from 2012===
In 2012, Lufthansa announced its plans to transfer point-to-point shorthaul flights operating from cities other than Frankfurt and Munich from Lufthansa to Germanwings.<ref>{{cite news|date=September 20, 2012|title=Lufthansa to Combine European Flights Into Low-Cost Unit |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-19/lufthansa-to-combine-european-flights-into-low-cost-unit.html | work=Bloomberg}}</ref><ref>Flottau, Jens. "[http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2Fawx_10_11_2012_p0-505710.xml Lufthansa Transfers Most Short-Haul Flights To Germanwings] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509183349/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2Fawx_10_11_2012_p0-505710.xml |date=2013-05-09 }}." ''[[Aviation Week]]''. 11 October 2012. Retrieved on 11 October 2012.</ref> Therefore, the company received a revised corporate design. The transfer of Lufthansa's shorthaul routes occurred between spring 2013 and autumn 2014; [[Düsseldorf Airport]] was the last base transferred from March 2014.

As part of the 2013 restructuring and relaunch of Germanwings, around 30 Lufthansa aircraft were to be added to Germanwings' fleet of 33 aircraft.<ref>[https://www.germanwings.com/en/The-new-Germanwings.htm The "New Germanwings"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730031939/https://www.germanwings.com/en/The-new-Germanwings.htm |date=2013-07-30 }}. Germanwings.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-30.</ref> Additionally, the 23 aircraft currently operated by Eurowings for Lufthansa flights not flying out of Frankfurt and Munich were to join Germanwings. The new Germanwings was to operate around 90 aircraft.

The airline had a long-standing dispute with the Vereinigung Cockpit union, which demanded a plan in which pilots can retire at the age of 55 and retain 60% of their pay, which parent Lufthansa insists was not affordable. Germanwings pilots staged a nationwide strike in support of their demands in April 2014, which lasted 3 days. The pilots staged a six-hour strike in September 2014. Simultaneous strikes were staged by Lufthansa pilots.<ref name="LufthansaStrike">{{cite news|title=Lufthansa pilots' strike causes cancellation of more than 200 flights|url=http://www.traveltrade.org/index.php/sid/225466195|date=6 September 2014|access-date=7 September 2014|publisher=Travel Trade.Org}}</ref>

By the end of 2014, all of Lufthansa's national routes and international traffic to and from Germany - except flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich and the<!--there are only those two--> routes from Düsseldorf to Newark and Chicago<ref name="changes">{{cite news|url=http://www.airliners.de/aktuelle-streckenmeldungen/33807|title=Germania, Ryanair und mehr - Aktuelle Streckenmeldungen|work=airliners.de|access-date=24 March 2015}}</ref> - were transferred to Germanwings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airliners.de/lufthansa-direktverkehre-umstellung-auf-germanwings-auf-der-zielgeraden/31989|title=Lufthansa-Direktverkehre: Umstellung auf Germanwings auf der Zielgeraden|work=airliners.de|access-date=24 March 2015}}</ref> The last route to be transferred was Düsseldorf-Zurich on 8 January 2015.<ref name="changes"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/Online-Flugplan|title=Online Flugplan - Lufthansa ® Deutschland|access-date=24 March 2015|archive-date=20 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220102035/http://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/Online-Flugplan|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Integration into Eurowings from 2015===
[[File:Airbus A319-112, Germanwings JP7591803.jpg|thumb|A Germanwings [[Airbus A319-100]] wearing the airline's second livery introduced in 2013]]
[[File:Germanwings Airbus A319-112; D-AKNF@ZRH;22.05.2007 469ga (4291954628).jpg|thumb|A Germanwings [[Airbus A319-100]] wearing a promotional ''[[Carlson Companies|Park Inn Hotels]]'' livery]]
In January 2015, Lufthansa Group announced that it would discontinue the ''Germanwings'' brand and replace it with [[Eurowings]] starting in late 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abendblatt.de/wirtschaft/article135005188/Neue-Billiglinie-Eurowings-soll-Germanwings-ersetzen.html|title=Lufthansa - Neue Billiglinie Eurowings soll Germanwings ersetzen - Wirtschaft - Hamburger Abendblatt|author=Volker Mester|date=4 December 2014|access-date=24 March 2015}}</ref>

On 25 October 2015, Eurowings took over 55 routes previously operated under the Germanwings brand.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://airlineroute.net/2015/03/23/4uew-w15update1/ |title = germanwings Moves 55 Routes to Eurowings from late-Oct 2015 {{!}} Routes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://airlineroute.net/2015/04/07/4uew-apr16/ |title = germanwings / Eurowings Route Transfers in April 2016 {{!}} Routes}}</ref> The first Germanwings bases to be mostly taken over by Eurowings were [[Düsseldorf Airport]], [[Hamburg Airport]] - at both of which Eurowings already operated on behalf of Germanwings - and [[Cologne Bonn Airport]].
<!--ALL NEWS REGARDING THE ACCIDENT ARE STATED IN THE ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS SECTION BELOW-->

Lufthansa announced in October 2015 that Germanwings' own website would be dissolved and redirected to Eurowings by January 2016 as part of their merger. However, Germanwings continued to operate as a company.<ref>[http://www.airliners.de/eurowings-a330-langstreckenjet-kurzstrecke/36558 airliners.de - "Eurowings gets ready for long-haul"] 15 October 2015</ref> From that date, Eurowings became solely responsible for all sales under the Germanwings brand.<ref>[https://www.germanwings.com/de/rechtliches/impressum.html germanwings.com - Impressum] retrieved 30 December 2015</ref> In January 2016, Germanwings' social media profiles, such as those on [[Facebook]] and [[YouTube]], were renamed Eurowings, while ''germanwings.com'' was redirected to ''eurowings.com''. However, Germanwings continued to operate under its own flight numbers, but used the Eurowings brand.

In December 2016, it was announced that Germanwings would retire 20 aircraft during 2017 without replacement due to Lufthansa's new wet-lease deal with [[Air Berlin]] which also provided services for [[Eurowings]]. It was reported that the Air Berlin aircraft were newer and cheaper to operate than those of Germanwings.<ref>[http://www.austrianaviation.net/detail/eurowings-ab-deal-geht-zu-lasten-von-germanwings/ austrianaviation.net - "Eurowings: Air Berlin deal at the expense of Germanwings"] 16 December 2016</ref>

In August 2017, it was announced that Germanwings would abandon its own [[IATA]] code ''4U'' by 25 March 2018. Since then, it has used Eurowings' ''EW'' code on for all operations, which are already carried out under the Eurowings brand.<ref name="4UIATA">[http://www.aerotelegraph.com/germanwings-gibt-iata-code-4u-auf aerotelegraph.com - "Germanwings gives up IATA-Code 4U"] (German) 23 August 2017</ref>

In October 2019, the [[Pristina International Airport|Pristina]] base, which had been operated by Germanwings since June 2019, was transferred to [[Eurowings Europe]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airliners.de/eurowings-basis-a319-pristina/49981|title=Eurowings eröffnet Basis und stationiert A319 in Pristina|website=airliners.de|language=de|access-date=2019-10-30}}</ref> In return, Germanwings took over the German base in [[Munich Airport|Munich]] which had been operated by its sister airline.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aerotelegraph.com/germanwings-loest-eurowings-europe-in-muenchen-ab|title=Eurowings wechselt durch: Germanwings löst Eurowings Europe in München ab|date=2018-12-13|website=aeroTELEGRAPH|language=de-CH|access-date=2019-10-30}}</ref>

On 7 April 2020, Lufthansa announced that it would be shutting down Germanwings, partly due to the large travel ban during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="reuters.com">{{cite news |title=Lufthansa to discontinue Germanwings in sweeping restructuring |website=[[Reuters]] |date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115140143/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-lufthansa/lufthansa-grounds-germanwings-in-sweeping-restructuring-idUSKBN21P2GW |archive-date=2022-11-15 |url-status=live |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-lufthansa/lufthansa-grounds-germanwings-in-sweeping-restructuring-idUSKBN21P2GW}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-lufthansa-shutters-germanwings-subsidiary/a-53043555 |title = Coronavirus latest: Wuhan lockdown lifted|website = [[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref>

==Corporate affairs==
[[File:Germanwings Headquarter 2015 1.jpg|thumb|Germanwings' head office in [[Cologne]]]]
[[File:Germanwings - cabin best seats.jpg|thumb|Cabin of a Germanwings aircraft]]
===Service concept===
Germanwings had offered three fare types since 2013. ''Basic'' was no-frills and offered no inclusive catering and only hand luggage. ''Best'' included hold baggage, inclusive snacks and drinks as well as access to some lounges for tier members of Miles&More.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germanwings.com/en/Service/Booking_and_changing_a_booking_What_are_the_different_fares.htm|title=What fares are available?|access-date=26 March 2015|archive-date=2 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102193841/http://www.germanwings.com/en/Service/Booking_and_changing_a_booking_What_are_the_different_fares.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Smart'' and ''Best'' more or less corresponded to the Lufthansa service offered on the routes taken over by Germanwings. The fleet was only equipped with [[economy class]].

Germanwings offered ''Sky Bistro'' (''Bord Shop'' in German), a [[buy on board]] food and drinks programme.<ref>"[http://www.germanwings.com/de/downloads/Speisekarte_4U.pdf]." ''Germanwings''. Retrieved on 19 July 2012.</ref> The airline provided an inflight magazine, a bi-monthly German and English magazine called ''GW''. While the primary editorial focus was rooted in Germanwings destinations, the content was not exclusively about travel.<ref>[http://www.ink-live.com/emagazines/german-wings-magazine/1051/april-2012/ Germanwings – Magazine :: Apr 2012 — Ink eMagazines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501062429/http://ink-live.com/emagazines/german-wings-magazine/1051/april-2012/ |date=2012-05-01 }}. Ink-live.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-01.</ref>

Germanwings booking service provided ''Blind Booking'', a unique option that allowed passengers to choose one of Germanwings' base airports, select a category of destination (e.g. Party, Gay-friendly or Culture) and then purchase a round-trip ticket via a random lottery process from among the cities in the category. Such tickets were often priced lower than the corresponding ticket to the same destination, and Germanwings e-mails its customers with details of their destination shortly after the purchase.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germanwings.com/skysales/BlindBooking.aspx?culture=en-GB|title=Blind Booking|access-date=26 March 2015|archive-date=30 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430143747/https://www.germanwings.com/skysales/BlindBooking.aspx?culture=en-GB|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Business trends===
Germanwings had been wholly owned by Lufthansa since 1 January 2009; formal reporting since then had been within the Group Accounts. From 2012, Germanwings figures had been reported only within the 'Lufthansa Passenger Airline Group', and have not generally been available separately. The key known trends for Germanwings are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|- 
! 
! 2008
! 2009
! 2010
! 2011
! 2012
! 2013
! 2014
! 2015
|-
| align=left|Turnover (€m)
| 628
| 580
| 630
| 687
| n/a
| n/a
| rowspan="5" colspan="2"|Separate <br>data no<br> longer <br>available
|-
| align=left|Profits ([[EBITDA]]) (€m)
| 39
| 63
| {{color|red|−9}}
| {{color|red|−15}}
| n/a
| n/a
|-
| align=left|Number of employees (at year end)
| 1,046
| 1,111
| 1,272
| 1,274
| 1,352
| 2,073
|-
| align=left|Number of passengers (m)
| 7.6
| 7.2
| 7.7
| 7.5
| 7.8
| 16
|-
| align=left|Passenger load factor (%)
| n/a
| n/a
| 77.2
| 78.2
| n/a
| n/a
|-
| align=left|Number of aircraft (at year end)
| 25
| 26
| 30
| 30
| 32
| 67
| 84
| 62
|-
| align=left|<small>''Notes/sources''</small>
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor-relations.lufthansa.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/annual-reports/LH-AR-2008-e.pdf |title=Annual Report 2008 |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=1 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711024003/http://investor-relations.lufthansa.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/annual-reports/LH-AR-2008-e.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Annual Report 2009">{{cite web |url=http://reports.lufthansa.com/2009/ar/groupmanagementreport/businesssegmentperformance/passengerairlinegroup/germanwings.html?cat=b |title=Annual Report 2009 |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=1 January 2013}}</ref>
|<ref name="Annual Report 2009"/>
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.lufthansa.com/2010/ar/groupmanagementreport/businesssegmentperformance/passengerairlinegroup/germanwings.html?cat=m |title=Annual Report 2010 |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=1 January 2013}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reports.lufthansa.com/2011/ar/servicepages/search.php?q=germanwings&pageID=15100&cat=b |title=Annual Report 2011 |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=1 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor-relations.lufthansa.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/traffic-figures/Lufthansa/2011/LH-Investor-Info-2011-12-e.pdf |title=Investor Info 2011 |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=1 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824073752/http://investor-relations.lufthansa.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/traffic-figures/Lufthansa/2011/LH-Investor-Info-2011-12-e.pdf |archive-date=24 August 2012 }}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor-relations.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/annual-reports/LH-AR-2012-e.pdf |title=Annual Report 2012 |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.germanwings.com/downloads/Germanwings_Facts_and_Figures.pdf |title=Facts and Figures June 2013 |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=3 July 2013 |archive-date=14 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814083217/https://www.germanwings.com/downloads/Germanwings_Facts_and_Figures.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/themen/de/germanwings/121130_PK_Presentation_d.pdf |title=Die neue Germanwings |publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=3 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309052551/http://www.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/themen/de/germanwings/121130_PK_Presentation_d.pdf |archive-date=9 March 2013 }}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.germanwings.com/de/downloads/Germanwings_Daten_und_Fakten.pdf |title=Facts and Figures March 2014|publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=22 April 2014}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germanwings.com/en/Fleet-and-Crew-Our-safety-concept.htm|title=Fleet & Crew - About Germanwings|access-date=28 December 2014|archive-date=14 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214212836/http://www.germanwings.com/en/Fleet-and-Crew-Our-safety-concept.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://investor-relations.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/annual-reports/LH-AR-2014-e.pdf |title=Lufthansa Annual Report 2014|publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref>
|
|}

In line with Lufthansa's declared business strategy, the transfer of European non-hub traffic from Lufthansa Passenger Airlines to Germanwings continued in 2014 and was completed successfully on 7 January 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://investor-relations.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/annual-reports/LH-AR-2014-e.pdf |title=Lufthansa Annual Report 2014|publisher=Lufthansa |access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> (The increase in 2013 and 2014 figures was due to this intervening transfer of aircraft and routes from Lufthansa.)

==Destinations==
{{main|List of Germanwings destinations}}

===Codeshare agreements===
Germanwings had [[codeshare agreement]]s with the following airlines:<ref name="CAPA Germanwings profile">{{cite web|url=http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/germanwings-4u |title=Profile on Germanwings |website=CAPA|publisher=Centre for Aviation|access-date=2016-11-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103195133/http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/germanwings-4u |archive-date=2016-11-03|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Air Canada]]
* [[All Nippon Airways]]
* [[Austrian Airlines]]
* [[Brussels Airlines]]
* [[Lufthansa]]
* [[Swiss International Air Lines]]
* [[United Airlines]]
{{Div col end}}

==Fleet==
Germanwings operated the following aircraft:{{Cn|date=December 2024}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Airbus A319-100]]
|50
|2002
|2020
|Operated for [[Eurowings]] between 2015 and 2020
|-
|[[Airbus A320-200]]
|26
|2003
|2019
|
|-
|[[Boeing 717-200]]
|2
|2004
|2005
|Leased from [[Aerolíneas de Baleares]]
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-81]]
|1
|2007
|2007
|Leased from [[Nordic Airways]]
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-82]]
|1
|2007
|2007
|Leased from [[FlyNordic]]
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-83]]
|1
|2007
|2007
|Leased from [[Nordic Airways]]
|-
|}

===Special liveries===
Germanwings used several different special liveries. Some aircraft had special [[aircraft livery|liveries]] promoting German cities (e.g. the ''Bearbus'' paint scheme inspired by the [[coat of arms of Berlin]]), or as advertisements (e.g. a pink livery for [[T-Mobile International AG|T-Mobile]]).<ref>[http://www.germanwings.com/downloads/GW_Werbemedien_2012_EN.pdf Germanwings advertisement brochure, Advertisement through aircraft painting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508152407/https://www.germanwings.com/downloads/GW_Werbemedien_2012_EN.pdf |date=2012-05-08 }}. Retrieved 2012-01-20</ref> Those were abandoned during the 2013 rebranding.

==Incidents and accidents==
{{main|Germanwings Flight 9525}}
[[File:320 GERMANWINGS D-AIPX 147 10 05 14 BCN RIP (16730197959).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Germanwings Flight 9525 in May 2014|D-AIPX, the plane that crashed as Flight 9525 in March 2015]]
As of the merger, Germanwings had been involved in one major incident, which resulted in 150 fatalities. On 24 March 2015, an Airbus A320-211 with registration D-AIPX was operating Flight 9525 from [[Barcelona]] to [[Düsseldorf]] when it crashed in the south of France near [[Digne-les-Bains]], with no survivors. The flight was carrying 144 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfmtv.com//societe/un-avion-a320-s-ecrase-dans-le-sud-de-la-france-871170.html|title=Un Airbus A320 transportant 148 personnes s'écrase près de Digne-les-Bains|author=BFMTV|access-date=24 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324132245/http://www.bfmtv.com//societe/un-avion-a320-s-ecrase-dans-le-sud-de-la-france-871170.html|archive-date=24 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> German investigators concluded that 27-year-old co-pilot [[Andreas Lubitz]] had deliberately crashed the plane, while alone in the cockpit.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-crash-germanwings-idUSKBN14T12K|title=German investigators find only pilot Lubitz at fault in Germanwings crash|date=2017-01-09|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-11-20|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hepher|first1=Tim|last2=Rosnoblet|first2=Jean-Francois|title=Co-pilot appears to have crashed Germanwings plane deliberately: French prosecutor|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-crash-idUSKBN0MK2U020150326|access-date=26 March 2015|work=Reuters|date=26 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news|last1=Clark|first1=Nicola|last2=Bilefsky|first2=Dan|title=Germanwings Co-Pilot Deliberately Crashed Airbus Jet, French Prosecutor Says|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html|access-date=26 March 2015|work=The New York Times|date=26 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="guardianpress">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/mar/26/germanwings-plane-crash-investigation-press-conference-live-updates-4u9525|title=Germanwings Plane Crash Investigation|date=26 March 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref> Lubitz took time off from his flight training for several months and informed the Flight Training Pilot School in 2009 of a "previous episode of severe depression".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lufthansagroup.com/en/press/news-releases/singleview/archive/2015/march/31/article/3485.html|title=Lufthansa helps investigation progress|author=COMKOM° GmbH, Germany|publisher=lufthansagroup.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402223020/http://www.lufthansagroup.com/en/press/news-releases/singleview/archive/2015/march/31/article/3485.html|archive-date=2015-04-02}}</ref> He later completed the training. Prior to his training as a commercial pilot, he was also treated for suicidal tendencies.<ref name="Spiegel">{{cite news|title=Germanwings-Absturz: Co-Pilot war vor Jahren wegen Suizidgefahr in Behandlung|url=http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/germanwings-absturz-co-pilot-vor-jahren-wegen-suizidgefahr-in-behandlung-a-1026218.html|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=30 March 2015|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/germanwings-flight-4u9525-flight-school-knew-of-depressive-episode-1.3015984|title=Germanwings Flight 4U9525: Flight school knew of depressive episode|date=31 March 2015|publisher=[[CBC News]]|access-date=1 April 2015}}</ref>

Following the incident, the [[European Aviation Safety Agency]] (EASA) made a recommendation to airlines that two authorized people must be present in the cockpit at all times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ad.easa.europa.eu/ad/2015-04|title=Authorised persons in the flight crew compartment}}</ref> In coordination with the German aviation authority, other German airlines and the German aviation industry association, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group implemented a policy requiring this.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lufthansagroup.com/en/press/news-releases/singleview/archive/2015/march/27/article/3478.html|title=Lufthansa Group further refines its safety structures|access-date=2 April 2015|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706005040/http://www.lufthansagroup.com/en/press/news-releases/singleview/archive/2015/march/27/article/3478.html|archive-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> However, by 2016, the EASA stopped recommending the two-person rule, instead advising airlines to perform a risk assessment and decide for themselves whether to use the rule.<ref>{{cite press release |date=2016-07-26 |url=https://www.easa.europa.eu/newsroom-and-events/news/minimum-cockpit-occupancy-easa-issues-revised-safety-information-bulletin |title=Minimum Cockpit Occupancy: EASA issues revised Safety Information Bulletin |publisher=[[European Aviation Safety Agency|EASA]] |access-date=2020-10-07}}</ref> Germanwings and other German airlines dropped the rule in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39749803 |date=2017-04-28 |title=German airlines drop safety rule prompted by Germanwings crash |access-date=2020-10-07 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

{{clear}}

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of Germany]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*[https://www.eurowings.com/en.html Official website]

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[[Category:Defunct airlines of Germany]]
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