A Germanwings captain has been praised for calming the fears of passengers
A Germanwings captain has been praised for calming the fears of passengers Photo: AP
The captain of a Germanwings flight has been praised for attempting to calm passengers' fears before taking off less than 24 hours after Flight 4U9525 crashed into the French Alps. 
Frank Woiton gave an inspirational speech to passengers while standing in the passenger cabin just before take off. The plane was travelling from Hamburg to Cologne in Germany. 
A passenger on the flight, Britta Englisch, said on Facebook he told everyone he had the same "sinking feeling" as the crew and passengers but assured he would get them to their destination safely. 
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Addressing a nervous cabin, Captain Woiton said he and his crew were overwhelmed by the tragedy which unfolded the day before and said they were all there voluntarily to get on with their jobs. 
He said he, like his crew, had a family he would like to see again.
His thoughtful address broke the tension on the plane and passengers applauded. 
"I would like to thank the captain. He understood what everyone thought. And he managed to give me a good feeling about the flight after that speech," Ms Englisch said.
Social media also erupted after Ms Englisch's post went viral. It has been shared more than 20,000 times and received more than 300,000 "likes".
Another Facebook user posted a response on Ms Englisch's site saying the same captain made a similar address on a flight from Cologne to Hamburg that morning. 
"He comforted my mixed feelings which I had before the flight with his speech. Thank you for that!" Silke Westphal said.
Two Germanwings crew members, Maria Anna and Adriana Gaik also responded. 
"Thank you that you have found these words for our colleagues! Such statements and words give to us crew empowerment ... We commemorate our colleagues," Ms Gaik said. 
Germanwings flight 4U9525 which was travelling from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed into the French Alps on March 24, about 100 kilometres north-west of Nice. 
The the co-pilot of the plane, Andreas Lubitz, 27, had apparently set the plane off course crashing it into the mountains killing all 150 people on board.
On Monday, the office of the Dusseldorf public prosecutor said Lubitz had been treated for "suicidal tendencies" before receiving his pilot's licence. 
Prosecutors have questioned many of Lubitz's friends and colleagues but have not found a suicide note or a clear motive behind the crash.
Captain Woiton has also flown with Lubitz in recent weeks. 
"He seemed completely normal," he said in an interview with WDR television.
Captain Woiton said Lubitz told him he was happy to finally fly for the group, and that he wanted to pilot long-haul routes and become a captain on a Boeing 747 or the Airbus A380, the two biggest commercial aircrafts.