A copilot is said to have been barred from operating flights in Oman because of radical views. Later, he was sitting in the cockpit of a Flydubai aircraft bound for Tel Aviv. Following the attack on the captain, an urgent question therefore arises: How could a man with this reported background once again assume responsibility for a passenger aircraft?

According to the current findings of the United Arab Emirates’ investigation, the attack on flight FZ1073 was an attempted terrorist act. Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi stated this on October 3 via the state news agency WAM. The copilot allegedly attacked the captain with a fire axe kept in the cockpit and attempted to take control of the flight controls. The authorities of the country where Flydubai is based are therefore now also identifying a terrorist motive.

An investigation by the Wall Street Journal shifts the focus to the period before the attack. According to the report, Omani authorities barred the future copilot from flying because of concerns about radical ideological views. The newspaper cites people familiar with the matter who were not named. Flydubai subsequently hired him, according to these sources. Citing informed sources, the newspaper identifies him as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen.

Excluded from flight operations in Oman: Bans must be passed on

The reported ban also turns the attack into a case for reviewing personnel selection. If a pilot is no longer allowed to fly for security reasons, any subsequent hiring must take this history into account. Changing employers must not make such warnings disappear.

Oman removed the man from flight operations because of radical views, according to the WSJ report. Flydubai then put him in the cockpit on a route to Tel Aviv. The newspaper could not determine whether Muscat passed on the ban. Flydubai and Oman did not respond. The missing paperwork does not explain the hiring. It makes it a question the airline must answer. The information about the unresolved transmission and the unanswered inquiries is documented by the Times of Israel summary.

How the captain, crew and passengers saved the aircraft

On September 30, the aircraft was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to the Israeli account, the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to crash the aircraft. The aircraft lost a massive amount of altitude during the incident. Passengers and crew members overpowered the attacker; Flydubai pilots who were also on board enabled a safe landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The travelers later reached Israel on a replacement aircraft. The course of events was documented by Reuters on September 30, reprinted by MarketScreener.

The seriously injured Machchhar had previously unlocked the cockpit door. According to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the captain was lying on the floor covered in blood when he operated the door release. Only then could rescuers enter and overpower the attacker. The Times of Israel reported on this account.

The fact that people on board were able to intervene in time prevented the catastrophe. That does not exonerate the airline when it comes to the pre-flight safety check. Passengers must not be the last line of defence keeping a violent copilot from the controls.

Emirati investigators examine a terrorist plot

Flydubai initially stated that the background was unknown and warned against premature speculation. The statement issued by the Emirati prosecution service on October 3 goes considerably further: According to its findings to date, the copilot began carrying out a terrorist plot during the flight. Investigators are continuing to examine motives, possible connections, as well as physical and digital evidence. This development can be traced through the early Reuters report, reprinted by MarketScreener, and the current official statement .

Netanyahu had previously spoken of radical Islamist indoctrination spoken; the published statement by the Emirati prosecution does not name a specific group. Reuters reports on October 3, that Israeli investigators are to be involved in the investigation led by the Emirates.

For Israel, clarifying the matter is directly a security issue. According to Reuters, numerous Israeli travelers were seated on a flight to Tel Aviv, while the alleged attacker had direct access to the flight controls. The investigation must therefore also clarify whether the choice of route was part of the plan for the attack.

Flydubai must explain the hiring and deployment

The reported backstory in Oman requires a thorough investigation. Who ordered the ban? How was it documented? What information did Flydubai receive? And how was the man subsequently cleared to operate flights?

The answers must show how comparable warnings can reliably be passed between authorities and employers in the future. The security interests of Israeli travelers must be at the center of the investigation.

The captain, crew and passengers prevented the crash. Flydubai and the responsible authorities must now explain how the alleged attacker was able to get back into the cockpit in the first place. Courage on board saved lives. It does not replace a functioning security check on the ground.