‘He was openly radicalized’: Aviation veteran on Flydubai attack, security gaps and emergency landing | Exclusive
Aviation veteran Alastair Rosenschein said signs of the Flydubai co-pilot’s radicalization were visible to security services, colleagues and family. He praised Indian Captain Smit Machchhar’s bravery and called for stronger crew screening, psychological testing and international information sharing.
Aviation commentator Alastair Rosenschein, an aviation veteran with decades of experience in the UK industry, has expressed concerns over the security gaps exposed by the recent Flydubai incident on Flight FZ1073. The incident occurred on September 30th when an Omani co-pilot, Hamam Al-Hammami, allegedly attacked the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, with an axe in an apparent bid to take control of the plane.
Rosenschein highlighted the importance of improved flight-crew security screening and monitoring, emphasizing that warning signs of the co-pilot's radicalization were missed. The incident, which prompted an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, was instigated by the co-pilot's radicalization and demonstrated the importance of cockpit security and rapid intervention by other crew members.
Written by urgent.news from Live Mint's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
