Flydubai cockpit attack: Captain Smit Machchhar saved 174 people, but how was the co-pilot cleared to fly?

What happened

• Flight: Flydubai FZ1073, Dubai to Tel Aviv, Wednesday 30 September 2026, with 174 people on board.
• The attack: the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit's emergency crash axe and tried to take the controls. The plane fell more than 17,000 feet in about two minutes.
• The save: badly wounded, Captain Smit Machchhar reached the cockpit door. "This is the last push, Smit, do it, the door is right there," he later recalled telling himself. Crew and passengers then intervened and the plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were taken to hospital.
• The captain: an Indian pilot living in Dubai with 17 years of flying, 11 as captain. He was moved to Abu Dhabi for treatment, and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him on 2 October.

What investigators say

• The UAE Attorney General said investigators found it was a "terrorist act", with the co-pilot trying to seize control of the aircraft.
• The motive hasn't been established. Abu Dhabi is leading the investigation, including whether the co-pilot acted alone or had links to any extremist group.
• Flydubai flights to Israel are suspended while the investigation continues. Israel says it will add security checks on the identities of pilots flying in.

The question everyone is asking: how was he cleared to fly?

• UAE rules require a professional licence, a type rating, English proficiency and a Class 1 medical, which includes mental health screening.
• The co-pilot had been with Flydubai for less than a year. Details of his flying hours and background haven't been confirmed.
• Aviation analyst Saj Ahmad told Al Jazeera that pilot vetting is "very thorough," but the checks "are a single snapshot in time and will never uncover whether a person has issues that then manifest in the workplace."
• It has drawn comparisons with Germanwings Flight 9525 in 2015, where French investigators found the medical certification system had failed to stop a pilot with a serious mental disorder from flying.

Over to you

1. Pilot checks are a snapshot. Should airlines run ongoing security and mental health checks, and how would that work without driving pilots to hide problems?

2. Cockpit doors were reinforced to keep threats out. What can be done when the threat is already inside?

3. Passengers and cabin crew helped save this flight. Should passengers get any guidance on what to do in an emergency like this?

4. Would this change how you feel about flying, or about which airline you choose?