text: German air traffic control officials today called for technology that ground staff could use in an emergency to take remote command of a plane. Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, head of the Deutsche Flugsicherung authority, urged the aviation industry to develop the system which could help prevent a repeat of the Germanwings crash last month. Investigators believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked his captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane into a French mountainside on March 24, killing all 150 people on board. Disaster: Rescue workers and debris from the Germanwings jet at the crash site near Seyne-les-Alpes, France . Call: Klaus-Dieter Scheurle (above), head of the Deutsche Flugsicherung authority, urged the aviation industry to develop the system which could help prevent a repeat of the Germanwings crash last month . Mr Scheurle said in Frankfurt: ‘Such an event might cause us to reconsider systems which would allow the control of aircraft to be taken over by personnel on the ground in emergency situations.’ He added that it was important to ‘think past today's technology’, explaining that such a system could be used in an emergency on the ground to take remote control of a plane and safely land it. Mr Scheurle said that it was not the ‘simplest solution’, adding that similar technology is already available for piloting drones - but it could take a decade to develop it for passenger jets. Pilots associations are sceptical of the plans, with German pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit saying the idea of remote control from the ground could be open to abuse. In charge: Investigators believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz (pictured) locked his captain out of the cockpit and deliberately flew the plane into a French mountainside on March 24, killing all 150 people on board . Tribute: Flowers in front of the monument in homage to the victims of the Germanwings flight in Le Vernet . A spokesman said: ‘We also have to ask whether such a solution would really be an improvement. After all, it's the pilots who are sitting in the cockpit and they're the ones with all the information.’ The British Airline Pilots' Association also urged caution. ‘We must act with careful consideration to ensure new safety risks or concerns are not created, such as those raised by the vulnerability of any form of remote control of a passenger aircraft,’ a spokesman said. Since the Germanwings crash, European airlines have implemented a rule that two people must be in the cockpit at all times and Germany has set up a task force with the aviation industry to consider changes to medical and psychological tests for pilots. Commercial planes could be hacked in flight by passengers using the in-flight entertainment system to access flight controls, a US watchdog agency warned last night. Cyber-security experts said onboard firewalls intended to protect aircraft electronics from hackers could be breached if flight control and entertainment systems use the same wiring and routers. A 'virus or malware’ planted on websites visited by passengers could provide an opportunity for a malicious attack, one expert told Government Accountability Office investigators. A GAO report identified the hacking risk as one of several emerging weaknesses that the Federal Aviation Administration must address as air traffic control systems advance in technology. The publication said: ‘Internet connectivity in the cabin should be considered a direct link between the aircraft and the outside world, which includes potential malicious actors.’ FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the aviation regulator has begun working with US government security experts including the National Security Agency to identify needed changes. ‘This threat will continue to evolve and it is something that needs to be at the forefront of our thinking,’ he told a Senate oversight panel. Politicians in Congress called on the FAA to act.
target: Deutsche Flugsicherung urges aviation industry to develop safety system .
  Similar technology is already available for piloting drones, but not planes .
  Co-pilot deliberately crashed jet last month in Alps killing all 150 on board .
  Separate report says passengers could hack planes using in-flight TVs .