A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 people was forced to land in Saudi Arabia after a co-pilot reportedly attacked the pilot on Wednesday.
uncertain
pilot → carry → Wednesday
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Indian pilot who had been stabbed opened the cockpit door.
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who → say → door
He dubbed the captain, Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, “a true hero” for preventing “a catastrophic midair disaster”.
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He → dub → disaster
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ordered an investigation into the incident.
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Emirates → order → incident
The investigation team would “collect information and evidence to determine the truth of the incident, its circumstances, details, and motives, and to verify the extent of its connection to any terrorist activity or purpose, or the existence of prior planning or direction for it”, the UAE’s Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said on Thursday.
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General → collect → Thursday
Saudi Arabia has yet to provide updates regarding the incident.
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Arabia → have → incident
So, how was the alleged attacker allowed to fly, and what do we know about the pilot he stabbed?
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he → allege → pilot
What happened on board Flydubai FZ1073?
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What → happen → FZ1073
At about 8:44 local time, nearly two and a half hours after takeoff from Dubai, the distress call came in.
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call → come → Dubai
The captain and his co-pilot were allegedly engaged in fighting as the aircraft swiftly lost altitude, dropping from 33,000 feet (10,000 metres) to 17,000 feet (5,000 metres) within a minute, according to Israeli officials.
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aircraft → engage → officials
Netanyahu said that one of the pilots had stabbed the other and then tried to crash the plane.
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one → say → plane
A wounded Machchhar somehow managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to gain entry and overpower the alleged attacker, Israeli media reported.
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media → wound → attacker
The crew available on the flight were able to take control of the aircraft – and safely land it an hour later in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
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crew → take → Tabuk
Both pilots were injured in the fighting and were being treated in Saudi Arabia.
What we know about the pilot who allegedly attacked his colleague
Very little verified information has come through so far.
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information → injure → colleague
After initial treatment, he was taken into custody by authorities in Saudi Arabia, but has not been charged yet.
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he → take → Arabia
No official confirmation has come out regarding his citizenship.
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confirmation → come → citizenship
There is no information so far on his flying hours, qualifications or whether he had flown to Israel before on a Flydubai aeroplane, where he was reportedly employed less than a year ago.
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he → be → aeroplane
While some Israeli officials rushed to call it a “jihadist attack,” Netanyahu has said that “it’s too early to say,” whether this was a targeted attack or one with an Iranian role.
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this → rush → role
He also added that any motive behind the alleged attack was not clear.
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motive → add → attack
“I think he’ll be taken to the Emirates, where he comes from, or at least where he left, where he flew off from, and we’ll be following and possibly also participating in this investigation,” Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview.
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Netanyahu → think → interview
The initial statements from the airline and Saudi authorities say that investigations are continuing and people should refrain from speculation.
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people → say → speculation
How was the co-pilot cleared to fly?
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pilot → clear → ?
Flydubai is a UAE operator, whose certification and operational oversight fall under the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
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certification → fall → Authority
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency told Reuters that Flydubai’s certification and safety oversight rest with the GCAA.
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certification → tell → GCAA
“This includes responsibility for ensuring that the operator meets the applicable requirements concerning its flight crews and their fitness to fly,” EASA said.
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EASA → include → crews
The standard GCAA regulatory framework requires a valid professional pilot’s licence, the appropriate aircraft type rating, a current Class 1 medical certificate and English language proficiency alongside required flight experience.
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framework → require → experience
The Class 1 medical process covers physical and mental health; pilots with relevant psychiatric conditions, substance misuse, or other specified concerns can be referred for further assessment before being declared fit.
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pilots → cover → assessment
“Pilot vetting is very thorough, from security and financial checks to mental health evaluation,” said Saj Ahmad, the chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, a London-based aviation consultancy.
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Ahmad → say → Research
“But those checks are a single snapshot in time and will never uncover whether a person has issues that then manifest in the workplace or flight deck,” he told Al Jazeera.
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he → uncover → Jazeera
“This is why it’s so hard to know what people think and what they may do if they feel a sense of some form of injustice,” Ahmad added.
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Ahmad → ’ → injustice
Israeli media has pressed on with claims, quoting the Transport Minister Miri Regev, that an agreement with the UAE mandates that only pilots holding passports from countries with diplomatic relations with Israel may land in the country.
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pilots → press → country
Al Jazeera could not verify this claim.
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Jazeera → verify → claim
Israel’s Ministry of Transport Security Department’s description of its responsibilities includes “security screening of foreign flights crossing/landing in Israel” and directing security arrangements for air transport services.
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description → include → services
It does not specify routine individual background vetting of commercial airline pilots or cabin crew.
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It → specify → pilots
Now, Israel says it would ramp up security checks on pilots flying into the country.
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it → say → country
“Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots’ identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check,” Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office, said.
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Spielman → go → office
What do we know about the Indian pilot?
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we → know → pilot
Machchhar, hailed as a hero by prime ministers of Israel and India, hails from a suburb in Mumbai and currently lives in Dubai with his wife and two kids.
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Machchhar → hail → wife
Currently, he is recovering in a hospital in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk.
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he → recover → Tabuk
Machchhar managed to activate the release to open the cockpit door, according to Israeli officials, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot.
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passengers → manage → pilot
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
