Omani Pilot Was Earlier Barred: How Did He End Up Flying With Smit Machchhar?
The incident has raised questions about how an Omani pilot was allowed to operate a flight to Israel.
By Sakshi
New Delhi, October 3: Israel’s aviation-security arrangements are under scrutiny after Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on his Indian co-pilot, Smit Machchhar, mid-air aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, causing the aircraft to enter a steep descent within minutes. A mishap was averted after the co-pilot’s quick thinking and passengers’ intervention.
Following the incident, a background check on the Omani pilot revealed that he had previously been prevented from flying in Oman, allegedly for holding extremist views, the Associated Press reported. This triggered questions about how Al-Hammami was subsequently allowed to fly an aircraft carrying 174 passengers. The motive behind the attack remains under investigation.
The attack was stopped after Machchhar, despite suffering serious injuries, managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the co-pilot. Other pilots who were travelling as passengers took control of the aircraft and helped land it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The plane dropped around 17,000 feet before passengers intervened, CNN reported, adding that Al-Hammami had been working with flydubai for around eight months. Footage obtained by the network reportedly showed passengers entering the cockpit, while one crew member called for a doctor and another shouted that a pilot was needed.
How Did Al-Hammami Board a Tel Aviv-Bound Flight?
The incident has raised questions about how an Omani pilot was allowed to operate a flight to Israel, given that Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel has arrangements with foreign airlines that allow pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel to operate flights into the country.
Channel 12 reported that Israel had allowed dozens of Omani pilots to enter the country in recent years, with responsibility for enforcing the reported restriction largely left to foreign airlines.
However, The Jerusalem Post, citing people familiar with the investigation, reported on Friday that the aviation agreement between Israel and the UAE did not require pilots operating flights between the two countries to be nationals of countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel.
What Did Shin Bet Know About the Pilots?
According to Channel 12, Israel’s Shin Bet security service did not independently investigate the backgrounds of flydubai pilots. Instead, it had reportedly asked the airline not to use pilots from countries with no ties with Israel.
The report quoted an unnamed 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.
Captain Machchhar’s Struggle to Open the Cockpit Door
During a video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Machchhar explained how he managed to open the cockpit door despite being injured.
“I knew that the aircraft was falling down, and I knew, in that moment, one last push, Smit. Just do it. The door is right there. And even at that time, he was beating me up. And then I just opened it, sir, and then everybody came,” he said. Machchhar stressed that the intervention was not his alone. “I was doing this for my life, but at the same time, I knew that I could not let everybody else die,” he told Modi.
The Indian captain sustained serious injuries and underwent surgery. He was later moved from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, where he is recovering.
Incident Highlights Wider Aviation-Security Concerns
The attack has raised a broader question for aviation authorities: how can cockpit security be maintained when the threat comes from someone already inside the flight deck?
Former Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata told AP that aviation-security systems have traditionally concentrated heavily on passengers and their luggage, while the possibility of a threat coming from a pilot or crew member received less attention.
Experts told AP that crew members should generally undergo security screening comparable to that of passengers, although procedures differ between countries and airlines.
