Israel is set to tighten security checks on pilots flying into the country after a co-pilot on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv allegedly stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft, according to a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office.
The incident was brought under control after passengers helped subdue the co-pilot, while other pilots employed by the airline who were on board landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.
The Dubai state-owned airline has warned against ‘premature speculation’, saying many details of the incident remain unclear.
Saudi authorities have arrested and questioned the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel with 174 people on board, most of them Israelis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The incident has raised questions about how pilots are vetted and the security protocols they face, according to government officials and aviation analysts.
Israel to strengthen checks on pilots
Israel’s government frequently urges Israelis and Jews to remain vigilant when travelling outside the country amid concerns that they could be targeted.
This comes as antisemitism has increased globally in recent years, including violent and sometimes deadly attacks against Jews. However, no motive has so far been given for the flydubai incident.
‘Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots’ identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check,’ Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office, told Reuters.
He said Netanyahu had instructed authorities to ‘ramp up security’ on flights to Israel operated by both Israeli and non-Israeli carriers.
‘Anywhere that an Israeli is going to be flying into Israel. Our job right now is to do our best – even if they’re not on Israeli airlines – to make sure that those security procedures are much higher,’ Spielman said.
The UAE civil aviation regulator, the GCAA, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on how its pilots are vetted.
Netanyahu identified the pilot who was attacked as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar. He said Machchhar, despite being ‘stabbed and seriously injured’, fought back and opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.
Pilot screening tightened after 9/11
Pilots have faced substantial security screening, particularly since the Sept. 11 attacks in New York 25 years ago, aviation security experts told Reuters.
‘Every pilot goes through extensive background checks but also continuous medical and psychological assessments,’ said Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University in Britain.
Individual countries and airlines are responsible for implementing screening and security standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, although experts said there is flexibility in how those standards are interpreted.
Two pilots working in the Middle East but not for flydubai told Reuters that pilots undergo the same security screening as passengers, meaning they would not be allowed to bring weapons such as knives or guns on board.
‘It’s always the airline’s responsibility,’ said Eric Schouten, head of aviation intelligence consultancy Dyami.
‘The airline has to do a proper vetting according to national guidelines on who is in the cockpit and every country does it differently.’
The European Aviation Safety Agency said flydubai’s certification and safety oversight rest with the GCAA.
‘This includes responsibility for ensuring that the operator meets the applicable requirements concerning its flight crews and their fitness to fly,’ EASA said.
Weapon used in attack remains unclear
Reuters could not determine what weapon was used to stab the pilot.
Passengers on the flight reported seeing a man holding a knife while one of the pilots lay bloodied. A pilot flying in the region but not for flydubai told Reuters that pilots might have access to metal knives from meal service or a crash axe available in most cockpits.
Spielman said Israel already had some of the toughest security checks and that these would now be strengthened further.
‘This is an opportunity for everyone to wake up. Israel has the most thorough security checks in the world, and they’re there for a reason. They’re there so that an incident like this doesn’t take place,’ he said.
