Air Malta has made it compulsory for two crew members to be in the cockpit at any given time during a flight.

The devastating Airwings incident this week has sparked a discussion around the world about how crew policies can be improved to enhance passenger safety, Air Malta said in a statement.

"Our thoughts are with the family members of these passengers as well as our colleagues around the world," the airline said.

Air Malta is committed to continually improving its safety policies and maintaining its impeccable safety record.

In light of this, we have decided with immediate effect to make it compulsory to have two crew members in the cockpit at all times.

This measure complements our other security procedures already in place.