Serious security concerns have been raised after a routine flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a terrifying mid-air struggle when a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to take control of the aircraft.

FlyDubai flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 passengers when the alleged attack unfolded as the Boeing 737 MAX 8 travelled through Saudi airspace on its way to Israel.

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The aircraft plunged from about 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in roughly a minute, prompting an emergency alert and fears of a hijacking. 

The incident has sparked serious safety concerns for air travel, but former Qantas pilot David Oliver told Sunrise Australia is “pretty sound” when it comes to the “reliability of the crew”.

He said pilots go through regular physical and mental health checks, with staff encouraged to self-report any mental health struggles.

A door ‘designed to keep people out’

The incident unfolded when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain, who was identified by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Indian national Smit Machchhar.

Netanyahu said Machchhar was seriously injured but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and intervene.

Oliver said the first reaction for most people in the pilot’s situation would be “self-preservation”, praising his efforts to save the aircraft.

“The captain did a remarkable job in being able to open the cockpit door,” he said.

Former Qantas pilot David Oliver praised the efforts of the pilot. Credit: Sunrise

Doors to the cockpit on all commercial airliners are reinforced and ballistic resistant, Oliver said.

He said there are policies and procedures the crew can follow to enter the cockpit, often including visual verification that the person entering is who they say they are.

While opening the door would have been possible for the cabin crew in an emergency situation, Oliver said there were processes that would delay the opening.

“The door is designed to keep people out, not to lock someone in, and that’s the problem,” he said.

Oliver said flight attendants are trained to defuse the situation verbally and have also been trained in basic self-defence.

“There not trained to be able to fight someone, in the general sense of the word,” he said.

The knife problem

There are unconfirmed reports the alleged attacker had a knife, but there is no knowledge of whether this object was already onboard, if he carried it on, or if the weapon was a crash axe used to break windows in emergencies.

Oliver confirmed pilots and cabin crew go through all the same security measures normal passengers go through. 

“If he did carry a knife on board, one has to ask why wasn’t it picked up at the airport security check in,” he said.