Israel to expand security checks on pilots after flydubai airplane attack

Israel is set to ramp up security checks on pilots flying into the country, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said, after a copilot on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv had stabbed the pilot in an apparent attempt to crash the plane.

The dramatic incident was only defused after passengers helped subdue the copilot before other off-duty pilots employed by the airline on the plane landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.

The Dubai state-owned airline warned against “premature speculation” and said much remained unclear, although several Israeli ministers have already declared in an informal and unofficial capacity that the incident was an act of terror.

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Saudi authorities have arrested and interrogated the copilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Some 169 of the total 172 passengers on board were Israeli nationals, Ambassador Daniel Meron at the Israeli permanent mission in Geneva told Reuters.

The incident has sharpened questions about how pilots flying in and out of Israel and around the conflict-hit Middle East are vetted and what sorts of security protocols they face, according to government officials and aviation analysts.

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Israeli officials frequently warn of potential threats targeting Jews and Israelis around the world. Antisemitism has increased globally in recent years, including violent and sometimes deadly attacks targeting Jews. So far, no motive has officially been given for the copilot’s attack by authorities in Dubai.

“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 Prime Minister’s Office, told Reuters.

He said Netanyahu had instructed authorities to “ramp up security” on flights to Israel operated by 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.

Pilot vetting tougher post 9/11

Pilots have faced substantial security screenings, especially since the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US 25 years ago, 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 as set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but there is flexibility in how these are interpreted, experts told Reuters.

Two pilots working in the Middle East but not for flydubai told Reuters that pilots have to go through the same security screenings as passengers, meaning they would not be able to bring weapons such as knives or guns on board.

“It’s always the airline’s responsibility,” said Eric Schouten, the 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 told Reuters that 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.

Reuters couldn’t determine what weapon was used by the pilot to stab the other. Passengers on board the flight have reported that a man was holding a knife while one of the pilots lay bloodied. A pilot flying in the region but not for flydubai told Reuters pilots might have access to metal knives from a meal service or a crash axe available in most cockpits.

Spielman said Israel already had some of the toughest security checks — and these would only get tighter.

“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.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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