HALTERN AM SEE, Germany — On the tenth anniversary of the Germanwings Flight 9525 tragedy, relatives of the victims journeyed to the site in the French Alps where the plane went down. Meanwhile, hundreds gathered in a moment of silence in a small German town that mourned 18 members from its community who were among those lost.
On March 24, 2015, Flight 9525 took off from Barcelona, Spain, destined for Duesseldorf, Germany. In a heartbreaking twist, the plane never completed its journey. Investigators concluded that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had deliberately crashed the aircraft, claiming the lives of all 150 passengers and crew on board.
The victims included a high school group from Haltern am See in western Germany. Sixteen students and two teachers were among those whose lives were tragically cut short as they returned from a cultural exchange in Spain. Additionally, the crash claimed the lives of two babies, two renowned German opera singers, an Argentine rock band member, three generations of a single family, a vacationing mother and son, a newlywed couple, business travelers, and others returning home. The diverse list of victims represented 17 different nationalities, with the majority hailing from Germany and Spain.
Mourners traveled to the crash site in southeastern France, where local officials joined Carsten Spohr, the chief executive of Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, in laying flowers to honor the memory of those lost. In Haltern, students placed roses in the yard of Joseph König high school. At 10:41 a.m., the moment the tragedy occurred, a somber silence enveloped the crowd gathered before a plaque bearing the names of the victims.
Christian Krahl, the school’s principal, emphasized the importance of remembering the tragedy, noting that today’s students may not have experienced it firsthand. “We want to be close to those who are infinitely sad to this day,” he shared. Wreaths were additionally laid at the town cemetery, where a memorial resembling a schoolroom stands in remembrance of some of the students who perished.
Commemorative events also took place at the airports in Duesseldorf and Barcelona. At Duesseldorf Airport, a Room of Silence housed a condolence book for both employees and travelers.
The crash instigated a wave of shock and incomprehension when it was disclosed that co-pilot Lubitz had intentionally set the plane on a deadly course. Lubitz had previously experienced depression but was eventually cleared to return to the cockpit. In the months leading to the incident, he battled insomnia and harbored fears of failing eyesight, concerns he concealed from his employer.
Haltern Mayor Andreas Stegemann expressed, “The deeply felt sympathy for the families and the question of why this happened are still with us today.” He reflected that the crash has become an indelible part of the town’s history.
In France, the crash site is now marked by a 16-foot “Solar Orb,” a memorial designed to symbolize the sun and the five continents, while acknowledging the 149 souls lost. The memorial, erected in 2017, comprises 149 gilded aluminum plates, representing all the victims except the co-pilot.