All flydubai flights to and from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport were temporarily suspended on Wednesday after the attempted hijacking of FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv earlier that day, the airline said in a statement.
"This temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident," the statement read. "We remain in close coordination with government authorities, regulators, and airport stakeholders and will review the suspension as more information becomes available."
The airline's announcement follows a recommendation by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) earlier on Wednesday that flights between the United Arab Emirates and Israel should be suspended until the investigation progresses.
Israel is set to ramp up security checks on pilots flying into the country, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office said, after it said a co-pilot on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv had stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the plane.
The dramatic incident was only defused after passengers helped subdue the co-pilot before other on-duty pilots employed by the airline on the plane landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. The Dubai state-owned airline warned against "premature speculation" and said much remained unclear.
Saudi authorities have arrested and interrogated the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel that was carrying 174 people, almost all Israelis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu revealed that Israel would join the investigation into the incident and be permitted to interrogate the Omani pilot along with the UAE.
Rising scrutiny over how pilots are vetted
The incident has sharpened questions about how pilots are vetted and what sorts of security protocols they face, including but not limited to the Middle East, according to government officials and aviation analysts.
Israel's government frequently urges Israelis and Jews to remain vigilant when traveling outside Israel, amid concerns that they could be targeted. This comes as antisemitism has surged globally in recent years, including violent and sometimes deadly attacks against Jews. So far, however, no motive has been given for the flydubai incident.
"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, told Reuters.
He said Netanyahu had instructed authorities to "ramp up security" on flights to Israel operated by Israeli and non-Israeli carriers.
"Anywhere that an Israeli is going to be flying into Israel. Our job right now is to do our best - even if they're not on Israeli airlines - to make sure that those security procedures are much higher," Spielman said.
The UAE civil aviation regulator, the GCAA, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on how it vets its pilots.
Netanyahu identified the pilot who was attacked as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar. He said that, despite being "stabbed and seriously injured," Machchhar fought back and opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.
Pilot vetting post 9/11
Pilots have faced substantial security screenings, especially since the 9/11 attacks in New York 25 years ago, experts told Reuters.
"Every pilot goes through extensive background checks but also continuous medical and psychological assessments," said Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University in Britain.
Individual countries and airlines implement screening and security standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but experts told Reuters there is flexibility in how they are interpreted.
Two pilots working in the Middle East but not for flydubai told Reuters that pilots must go through the same security screenings as passengers, meaning they cannot bring weapons such as knives or guns on board.
"It's always the airline's responsibility," said Eric Schouten, the head of aviation intelligence consultancy Dyami.
"The airline has to do a proper vetting according to national guidelines on who is in the cockpit, and every country does it differently."
The European Aviation Safety Agency told Reuters that flydubai's certification and safety oversight rest with the GCAA. "This includes responsibility for ensuring that the operator meets the applicable requirements concerning its flight crews and their fitness to fly," EASA said.
Reuters could not determine what weapon was used by the pilot to stab the other. Passengers on board the flight have reported that a man was holding a knife while one of the pilots lay bloodied. A pilot flying in the region but not for flydubai told Reuters pilots might have access to metal knives from a meal service or a crash axe available in most cockpits.
Spielman said Israel already had some of the toughest security checks, and these would only get tighter.
"This is an opportunity for everyone to wake up. Israel has the most thorough security checks in the world, and they're there for a reason. They're there so that an incident like this doesn't take place," he said.