AIRLINE PILOTS’ unions criticised EU plans for psychiatric assessments of flight crew yesterday in the wake of the German Wings disaster.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) proposed the assessments last month as part of a raft of measures in response to the March 24 tragedy.

Investigators concluded that the Airbus A320 crashed after first officer Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the flight deck and intentionally dived the plane into the Alps.

Mr Lubitz had a history of depression. French prosecutors claimed he suffered from “psychosis,” feared losing his sight and and consulted 41 different doctors over five years, including psychiatrists.

But the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations warned yesterday that such assessments were neither productive nor cost-effective.

In a statement, it pointed out that serious mental illness is relatively rare among pilots and the onset of such illness is impossible to predict.

The federation argued that pilot assistance programmes were a more effective way of dealing with pilots’ personal problems.

Spokeswoman Anna Lou said: “Routine psychological/psychiatric evaluation is a gross invasion of privacy and may impose more stress, threat and anxiety on the individual.

“Not all tests are culturally valid and screening tools are unreliable,” she said. “Mental health assessment will only create the illusion of safety enhancement.”

The organisation recommended that, if psychological assessments were to be used, they should be limited to pre-employment screening and performed by an unbiased mental health professional who is familiar with the aviation environment.