German national airliner Lufthansa announced Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had reported his "major depressive episode" back in 2009.

Lubitz is thought to have steered a Germanwings Airbus A-320 into the slopes of the French Alps last Tuesday causing the death of all 150 on board.

Last week German authorities announced they had retrieved documents from his home that were later said to be an evidence that he had mental problems, though it was then argued he had "concealed" this from his employer.

But in a Tuesday statement [DE] Lufthansa said it had been well aware of Lubitz's condition.

It added it would not disclose any further details after having handed a number of documents, including some related to Lubitz's training and his e-mails to the school in Bremen.

Earlier, a number of German media outlets claimed the co-pilot had had a medical document barring him from flying on the day of the crash.