Israel Received FlyDubai Pilots’ Names, Nationalities Before Attack

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Tel Aviv: According to regional officials cited by sources, authorities in the United Arab Emirates had given Israeli authorities access to the passenger and crew manifest of FlyDubai flight FZ1073 prior to the aircraft's departure from Dubai for Tel Aviv. This information included the names and nationalities of the pilots.

The disclosure sparked concerns about how an Omani co-pilot who is suspected of assaulting the Indian captain and trying to take over the aircraft was permitted to fly to Israel without being reported by Israeli authorities.

On September 30, the Omani co-pilot allegedly used a crash axe to attack Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit of the 182-person flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Emergency and hijacking alerts were triggered after the airplane lost a considerable amount of altitude. Despite his injuries, Machchhar was able to unlock the cockpit door, enabling other crew members and passengers to stop the attacker.

With the assistance of two FlyDubai pilots who had been flying as positioning crew, the aircraft was finally redirected and made a safe landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. According to regional sources, prior to the flight, the UAE had given Israel information about the passengers and crew, including their nationalities. Israeli authorities apparently raised no red flags or concerns about any passengers or crew members.

The revelation has raised concerns about who is in charge of vetting international airline employees who fly to Israel. Sharing passenger and crew names is a common aviation practice, according to Israel's aviation security experts, although authorities may not always be able to perform thorough background checks on each individual on the list.

The situation caused more worries as the Omani co-pilot was apparently forbidden from flying in Oman due to extremist views. According to Reuters, the individual, identified by sources as Hamam Al-Hammami, is currently in detention in the UAE while the investigation continues.

The UAE labelled the cockpit assault as a terrorist attack. However, police are still looking into the attacker's exact purpose, history, and how he was cleared to serve as a co-pilot on the Israel-bound flight.

Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested a review of security protocols for foreign civil aviation arriving in Israel.

The inquiry is still underway, and officials have yet to explain publicly how the co-pilot's past flying restrictions were overlooked throughout the recruitment and vetting procedure.