Israel’s aviation-security system is facing scrutiny after an Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed Indian captain Smit Machchhar of flydubai Flight FZ1073 bound for Tel Aviv and attempted to crash the aircraft, with a Channel 12 report raising questions over how pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel are vetted before flying into the country.The attack aboard flydubai Flight Wednesday was thwarted after Indian captain Smit Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door despite being injured, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the co-pilot. Other pilots travelling aboard the aircraft subsequently helped bring the plane under control before it made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The Associated Press reported that 182 people, including eight crew members, were aboard the flight.The incident is being investigated by authorities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, with the United States and Oman assisting efforts to establish what happened and determine a motive, The Washington Post reported.Express InfoGenIE · Aviation securityFlyDubai FZ1073: Where aviation security faces new questionsFollow the aircraft through the security chain — and see where the alleged cockpit attack has raised questions.ConfirmedExpert analysisAllegationOfficial1Before take-off2In the cockpit3During the emergency4After FZ10731 · Before take-off2 · In the cockpit3 · During the emergency4 · After FZ1073← Whole aircraft◉Overview1Before take-off2In the cockpit3During the emergency4After FZ1073?Pilot vettingAirport screening?Cockpit security?Distress responseEmergency landingThe aviation security chain · ? marks where questions have emergedHow to read thisTap a numbered point on the aircraft, or use the tabsThe safeguards around flight FZ1073 did not prevent the alleged cockpit attack. Investigators have not yet established whether that was a gap in the system or a failure to follow existing rules.Expert analysisAviation-security expert Menachem Bachrach suggested it may reflect a compliance lapse rather than flawed procedures, and cautioned against rushing to tighten security.Source: AP01 · Before take-offWho screens the crew?Pilots & crewPassengersPilot licensingRegulatorMedical checksRegulatorBackground and security vettingAirlineAirport security screeningVaries by countryBody screeningAirportLuggage checksAirportThe traditional focus of aviation securityAPAre crew held to the same level of scrutiny as passengers?ConfirmedAviation security has traditionally focused far more on passengers and luggage, AP reports.Expert analysisDave Komendat, a former Boeing chief security officer, says crew screening should “mirror very closely what a passenger goes through” — but procedures vary around the world.Source: AP02 · In the cockpitWhat happens when the threat is inside?External threatInternal threatCOCKPITCABINThe reinforced door keeps an intruder in the cabin out.The same door can keep help out when the threat is already inside.9/11→Reinforced cockpit doors→Protection from hijackers in the cabinFZ1073→Alleged threat inside the cockpit→Captain injured→Door opened→Passengers intervenedExpert analysisThe door “has also created a fortress into which the good guys cannot gain access to a rogue individual,” says Philip Baum of Coventry University.OfficialIsrael’s former national security adviser Eyal Hulata: “Until this event, the possibility of a threat originating from a pilot or crew member was not considered a likely scenario.”Source: AP03 · During the emergencyHow did the system respond?TRANSPONDERAltitude plunge7700General emergency7500Unlawful interference / hijackingDistress callDiversion to TabukEmergency landingTurn over JordanUnresolvedWhy did the aircraft briefly turn into Jordanian airspace before heading back towards Saudi Arabia?ConfirmedFlight-tracking data show squawk 7700, then 7500, and a 180-degree turn over Jordan before the landing in Tabuk.OfficialInvestigators are expected to examine how Saudi and Jordanian authorities handled the distress calls, and why the aircraft took that route.Source: AP, Flightradar2404 · After FZ1073What could change?Crew vettingMore scrutiny of pilots flying into IsraelOfficialIdentity checksIsrael says it will know the identities of pilots operating flights into the countryOfficialCockpit securityRe-examine how to respond when the threat comes from inside the flight deckExpert analysisEmergency responseReview how distress calls and diversion requests are handledExpert analysisOfficialIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced pilot vetting and identity checks for all flights entering Israel.What investigators still need to establishPrior warning signsInvestigators will look at whether colleagues had raised concerns about the co-pilot.Crew screeningHow the co-pilot was screened and vetted before the flight.The object usedWhether the object allegedly used in the attack was brought on board or obtained during the flight.Response to distress callsHow Saudi and Jordanian authorities handled the emergency signals.The Jordan turnWhy the aircraft briefly entered Jordanian airspace before turning towards Tabuk.AllegationThe co-pilot is accused of attacking the captain. His motive has not been established, and investigations in Israel, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are continuing.Source: AP, ReutersSources: AP, Reuters, Flightradar24, official statements and aviation-security experts as quoted. Aircraft illustration is stylised.Express InfoGenIEHow did an Omani pilot get onto a Tel Aviv-bound flight?Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. According to the Channel 12 report cited by The Times of Israel, restrictions linked to the Abraham Accords bar pilots from flying into Israel if their countries do not have diplomatic relations with Jerusalem.Yet, Channel 12 reported that, Israel had allowed dozens of Omani pilots to fly into the country in recent years. The network also reported that enforcement of the restriction had effectively been left to foreign airlines, with Israel relying on them to ensure that pilots from countries without ties to Israel were not assigned to flights into the country.A report in The Jerusalem Post Friday, citing sources familiar with the investigation, said the bilateral aviation agreement between Israel and the UAE did not stipulate that pilots operating flights between the two countries had to be nationals of countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel.What did Shin Bet know about Flydubai pilots?According to Channel 12, the Shin Bet security service did not independently examine the origins of flydubai’s pilots, beyond asking the airline not to use pilots from states that lacked ties with Israel.Story continues below this adThe report quoted an anonymous airline industry official as saying, “The Shin Bet has all the means to know, within five minutes, who all of the pilots on the Dubai airline are, and they simply chose to turn a blind eye.”“In Israel, they expected the airline to be reliable enough, so they didn’t conduct reviews in recent years,” the official was quoted as saying.Israel’s Transportation Ministry, meanwhile, said in a statement to Channel 12 that the Shin Bet had never issued a specific warning regarding threats from flydubai, beyond asking for increased baggage checks.State Comptroller had called for aviation-security reviewThe Channel 12 report also cited a 2024 recommendation from Israel’s State Comptroller’s Office calling on the government to review security protocols relating to air travel.Story continues below this adThe Transportation Ministry is now expected to come under scrutiny as part of the investigation, including the work of the Center for Aviation Security Operations, which was established in recent years to oversee and monitor the entry of flight crews into Israel, Channel 12 reported.Israel has announced that security checks on pilots flying into the country will be tightened. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said authorities would know the identities of pilots flying into Israel and carry out security checks on them, Reuters reported.Netanyahu himself acknowledged the issue during an interview, saying, “Obviously, there was a loophole here. And we’re taking care of that.”Why flydubai attack raises a bigger aviation-security question“Until this event, the possibility of a threat originating from a pilot or crew member was not considered a likely scenario. Security efforts have traditionally focused much more heavily on passengers and their luggage,” Eyal Hulata, Israel’s former national security adviser, told AP.Story continues below this adAviation-security experts told AP that crew screening should generally closely mirror passenger screening, although procedures vary between countries and airlines. International Civil Aviation Organization standards establish baseline pilot-vetting and licensing requirements, while national regulators and airlines can impose additional measures.Israel’s security arrangements also rely substantially on foreign governments and airlines to vet their own crew members. Aviation-security expert Menachem Bachrach cautioned against assuming that the entire system was flawed.“Before we’re jumping to tighten security, I would just say it’s likely that somebody didn’t follow the protocols,” Bachrach said.Investigators will look for warning signsInvestigators are expected to examine whether there were any previous warning signs involving the co-pilot and whether colleagues or others had raised concerns about him.Story continues below this adThey are also likely to examine how the aircraft’s distress signals were handled after it plunged sharply in altitude. AP reported that a person who heard the flight’s air-traffic-control communications said a crew member reported a hijacking and requested ambulances.The crew eventually persuaded Saudi authorities to allow the aircraft to land at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. International aviation standards call for countries to provide maximum assistance and priority to aircraft facing hijacking or other unlawful interference, though the obligations under the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation are subject to what a country finds practicable.Investigators will also examine why the aircraft made a 180-degree turn after crossing into Jordanian airspace before heading towards Tabuk. Aviation experts said an aircraft may sometimes bypass a closer airport in favour of one better equipped to deal with its emergency.The cockpit-door dilemmaThe Flydubai incident has also renewed scrutiny of a security measure introduced after 9/11 — reinforced, locked cockpit doors. AP reported that the doors were strengthened and locked worldwide after the September 11, 2001 attacks to keep intruders out. But the Flydubai incident has highlighted the vulnerability when the threat comes from inside the cockpit.Story continues below this adAviation-security expert Philip Baum told AP that the cockpit door can become a “fortress” that prevents passengers or crew from reaching a rogue person inside the flight deck.Matthew Borie, chief intelligence officer at Osprey Flight Solutions, said airline personnel can be familiar with security vulnerabilities and may know how to exploit them if they become an insider threat.Israel and UAE differ over the investigationAs the investigation continues, there are also signs of tension between Israel and the UAE over how the incident should be characterised.The Channel 12 report said the UAE was unhappy with Israel’s early assessment that the attack was motivated by nationalism and was insisting on handling its own investigation. According to the report, Abu Dhabi had not ruled out a nationalist motive but was not ready to reach a definitive conclusion.Story continues below this adIsraeli intelligence agencies are also examining whether the co-pilot acted alone or on behalf of a terror group. Channel 12 reported that there was an increasingly strong assessment that he acted alone for nationalist reasons and that Iran was not involved, but said this had not been confirmed.Netanyahu said the Omani first officer had “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” according to the Channel 12 report, which attributed the assessment to two Israeli sources familiar with developments in the Saudi investigation.Those claims remain part of an ongoing investigation. The UAE’s attorney general has ordered a specialist probe into whether the incident involved “any terrorist activity or purpose or involved prior planning or direction”.Anwar Gargash, an adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, on Friday publicly described the attempted crash as an “act of terrorism”. He also praised Machchhar, saying the Indian captain “showed the meaning of courage when he confronted a dangerous and potentially catastrophic act of terrorism”.Story continues below this adGargash also warned against “simplistic interpretations” and conspiracy theories surrounding the incident.(With inputs from agencies)