SKY News: Captain Mike Vivian, former Head of Flight Operations at the Civil Aviation Authority, told Sky News: “German Wings is a very competent company given it is owned by the main German flag-carrier and it flies basically short-haul routes.
“It surprises me, that this aircraft flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, would have been at low altitude because nobody goes low in the Alps unless you are landing at Zurich or Geneva.
Yeah, I don’t know why people make a big deal about it being a 25 year old plane. If it is maintained well (which Lufthansa Technik is the #1 MRO in the world), it can last for many more decades. Lufthansa is still flying 737 Classics built in the 70s!