To reassure travelers flying U.S. carriers in the wake of the Germanwings crash, the White House announced U.S. pilots are properly screened for mental health issues to protect the flying public.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires pilots under the age of 40 to undergo a medical examination once a year and pilots over the age of 40 “to submit to a medical examination once every six months to ensure that they are fit to fly an aircraft that has a member of the traveling public on it,” according to White House press secretary Josh Earnest. The examination includes “a component dedicated to their psychological health as well,” said Earnest.

The statement from The White House comes as questions about the mental health of the Germanwings pilot who intentionally crashed a flight in the French Alps are rising. French officials say Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz battled depression in the years before the fatal Airbus A320 flight with 150 people on board.

U.S. airline industry officials say an incident like the Germanwings crash is unlikely to happen on a domestic airline due to standard U.S. operating procedure requiring two people in airplane cockpits at all times. The regulation was changed after the 9/11 attacks to require a flight attendant to take the spot of a briefly departing pilot.

Following the crash, airlines around the world are adopting the “rule of two” policy, including Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Air New Zealand, Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, Norwegian Air Shuttle, airberlin, EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia and Thomas Cook.

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