Transportation Ministry delegation heads to Dubai for briefing on flydubai attack probe
Representatives to meet with local security and airport officials about investigation into September incident and arrangements for restarting flights by foreign and Israeli carriers
A delegation of representatives from Israel’s Transportation Ministry was to depart for the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to meet with local security and aviation officials in light of the narrowly thwarted attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 in September, Hebrew media reported.
The delegation, led by Transportation Ministry director general Moshe Ben Zaken, is to be briefed Monday on the investigation into the attack before meeting with senior officials at Dubai International Airport, according to Channel 13.
The near-disaster aboard the Tel Aviv-bound flight exposed major flaws in Israel’s security procedures, especially for incoming foreign flights, with no effective oversight of the airlines’ vetting of pilots, no Israeli vetting of the crews, and aircrew lists routinely submitted only after planes have taken off.
The discussions with the airport officials will focus on preparations to reopen the Tel Aviv-Dubai flight route for international airlines, and on the possibility of Israeli airlines resuming flights to the Gulf state, Channel 13 reported.
Following the delegation’s visit, the Transportation Ministry will decide whether to allow flydubai to restart its flights to Israel.
The airline was barred from flying to Israel after the attack, in which the Omani copilot aboard the flight stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the plane full of Israelis.
The ministry, under Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and the security establishment have faced heavy criticism in the wake of the attack for failing to monitor pilots and crew from hostile countries who flew into Israel.
Flight FZ1073 was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 when the copilot, Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, attacked the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, with an emergency ax and attempted to crash the aircraft, whose passengers were mostly Israeli.
The plane plunged thousands of feet before several Israeli passengers burst into the cockpit, whose door Machchhar had managed to open while under attack, immobilized the terrorist copilot, and stabilized the plane.
Two off-duty pilots aboard the flight then took over the controls and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before a replacement aircraft returned passengers to Tel Aviv.
Nobody onboard the flight was killed in the attack, although several were lightly wounded from the steep descent, while Machchhar was seriously wounded with stab wounds to the head.
Earlier this month, Hebrew media reports said that Israel Police opened investigations into two senior Transportation Ministry officials over the incident due to possible conflicts of interest by one and suspected inadequate care by the other.
The Defense Ministry said last week that passengers on the plane will be recognized as victims of a hostile incident, which is expected to grant those on board the flight monetary compensation as well as potential access to government-subsidized services.
Survivors of the flight have also begun exploring legal action. Approximately 100 passengers have joined an effort to pursue a class-action lawsuit against flydubai and government authorities in Israel and the United Arab Emirates over the alleged security failures that allowed the attack to occur.