Israel has some of the strictest aviation security measures in the world. The United Arab Emirates also proudly adhere to international aviation safety standards. However, these security measures were not able to prevent a flight between the two countries from experiencing a sudden dive after what appears to be an attack in the cockpit.
It is alleged that on Wednesday, after a flight of FlyDubai FZ1073 departed from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the co-pilot stabbed the captain inside the cockpit. There were 182 people on board, including 8 crew members, and the flight was headed to Tel Aviv, Israel. Subsequently, passengers intervened.
The aircraft made a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Authorities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel are investigating the incident, while the United States and Oman are also assisting in determining the motive behind it.
Eyal Hurata, former National Security Advisor of Israel ( Eyal Hulata ), said: "Until this incident, threats from pilots or crew members were not considered a likely scenario. Security measures have traditionally focused more on passengers and their luggage."
This is very likely to change, and crew members will face stricter security checks in the future.
Israel's security procedures mainly focus on Israeli airlines and flights departing from Ben Gurion International Airport. The potential weak points lie overseas, as the procedures for flights to Israel vary and are more difficult to supervise by Israeli authorities.
Philip Baum, Professor of Aviation Safety at the University of Coventry in the UK ( Philip Baum ), stated that Dubai International Airport is the world's busiest international passenger airport, and its attractiveness is partly based on its reputation for safety in a region that is known for instability.
“They are very aware that, to some extent, similar to Israel, they cannot afford terrorist attacks to occur on flights departing from there,” he said.
Pilot reviews and pre-departure security checks are not standardized globally.
Investigators have not yet publicly confirmed the object used to stab the captain, nor have they stated whether the object was brought onto the plane or originated from inside the cabin.
Dave Comendant ( Dave Komendat ), a senior security consultant at the international risk management company International SOS and former Chief Security Officer of Boeing, said that the security checks for crew members before takeoff should usually be "as close as possible to the process experienced by passengers," however, security procedures vary around the world.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday that there are long-standing agreements between Israel and foreign airlines, which do not allow flights to Israel if the pilots come from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israeli authorities stated that the co-pilot flying to Dubai was from Oman. Israel does not have formal diplomatic relations with Oman, which has raised questions among the public as to why the suspect would be on a flight destined for Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News Channel's “Fox and Friends” on Thursday: “Obviously, there is a loophole here. We are working on addressing this issue.”
Doron Spierman, a spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office ( Doron Spielman ), told The Associated Press that Israel will strengthen security measures for incoming flights, regardless of whether they are operated by Israel or not. Pilots flying to Israel will undergo screening, and Israel will also have access to their identities.
Spearman added that there was no Israeli Air Police on the flight to Dubai, and it was civilians who helped to control the situation.
The International Civil Aviation Organization sets the basic standards for pilot examinations and licensing, while regulatory authorities and airlines in various countries may impose additional requirements.
Aviation safety expert Menachem Bahlaach ( Menachem Bachrach ) stated that Israel relies to a large extent on foreign governments and airlines to conduct their own reviews of crew members. The incident on Wednesday may reflect a compliance error rather than a defect in the procedures themselves.
"Before we rush to tighten security measures, I just want to say that it's more likely that someone did not follow these procedures," said Bahlah.
Investigators will look for abnormal signals and review the handling of distress calls.
Israel National Airlines El Al regularly assesses the fitness of its pilots to fly, whereas other airlines may not do so as frequently, said Ariek Alad ( Arik Arad ), chairman of aviation cybersecurity consulting firm CYVIATION and former head of security at Ben-Gurion Airport El Al.
Cormandate said that investigators will want to know whether colleagues had previously raised concerns about this co-pilot, and if so, how the airline responded to those concerns.
Inquiries conducted in the United Arab Emirates and Israel are also likely to examine the handling of the distress signals sent by the Dubai-bound aircraft after a sudden drop in altitude.
A person who overheard the air traffic control communications of a flight to Dubai said that a crew member reported an hijacking and requested an ambulance. This individual, unable to speak to the media due to lack of authority, requested anonymity and mentioned that Saudi and Jordanian authorities initially refused to allow the plane to land.
This crew member ultimately convinced the Saudi authorities to allow the plane to land at Sultan Prince Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk City.
International aviation standards require countries to provide the greatest degree of assistance and priority handling for aircraft facing hijackings or other forms of "illegal interference." However, the foundational 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation only requires countries to provide assistance "when they deem it feasible," making this an "relatively soft obligation," said Vincent Corea ( Vincent Correia ), co-director of the McGill University Institute for Air and Space Law.
John Gradak ( John Gradek ), the person in charge of McGill University's Aviation Management program, said that in severe emergency situations, the standard procedure is to land the aircraft on the nearest suitable runway as quickly as possible, "regardless of nationality, flight plan, or political factors."
Gradec emphasized that it is still unclear why the flight to Dubai turned 180 degrees after entering Jordanian airspace and then flew southwest towards Tabuk. He said that it is not uncommon for a crew to bypass the nearest airport and choose one that better meets the needs of the aircraft.
The locked cockpit door has been at the core of flight safety for 25 years.
Netanyahu said that the injured captain, while resisting the attack from the co-pilot and holding on until he managed to open the cockpit door of the Boeing 737, saved the lives of the aircraft and all those on board. This allowed the passengers to subdue the suspect, and other crew members flying to Dubai later took over control and landed the plane.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, cockpit doors around the world were reinforced and locked to prevent intruders. The incident in Dubai, as well as past air disasters caused by pilots attempting suicide, have highlighted the risks that arise when threats come from within the cockpit.
Boum said, "The entire industry needs to recognize that the flight deck doors—although installed for very reasonable reasons to prevent passengers from carrying out suicide hijackings—also turn the cockpit into a fortress, making it impossible for people outside to approach those who have lost control inside, whether they are hijackers or uncontrolled crew members."
Matthew Bori, the Chief Intelligence Officer of Osprey Flight Solutions, who provides flight threat consultation to airlines, stated that aviation industry personnel are more aware of security vulnerabilities in aviation than the general public and are also better able to gain the trust of the security personnel they come into contact with on a regular basis.
"Unfortunately, if malicious insiders were to attempt such things, they would likely be the most aware of the weakest points and how to exploit them," said Bori.
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Yamat reports from Las Vegas, Nevada, while Marcel reports from New York. Jill Lawless in London, Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, have also contributed to this report.
