What happened
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was the scene of a mid-air attack, in which the captain was stabbed and passengers rushed the cockpit. A reserve crew on board was able to take control of the aircraft, which had plummeted roughly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, and land it safely in Saudi Arabia. Over 170 people were on the flight, and all survived the incident.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by the Omani first officer, who allegedly underwent Islamist radical indoctrination and was suicidal. Israeli security officials think he likely acted alone, although the investigation is ongoing.
However, questions are being raised about how the first officer came to be assigned to the flight, given that Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and pilots from countries without diplomatic relations were not supposed to operate the route. It has been reported that dozens of Omani pilots may have flown the Israel route before, suggesting a potential compliance problem on the part of Flydubai.
The incident has highlighted the need for a review of Flydubai's security procedures and compliance with regulatory obligations, particularly given the airline's extensive international operations. The company has said it is cooperating with authorities, but has not publicly explained how the Omani first officer came to be assigned to the flight.
