After the Flydubai Cockpit Attack, Questions About How Pilots Are Screened and Cleared

Al Jazeera's follow-up on the flydubai FZ1073 incident looks at how the pilot accused of attacking his captain was cleared to fly. The captain, Smit Machchhar, is an Indian national from a Mumbai suburb with about 9,750 flight hours over a 15-year career, including 11 years at SpiceJet before joining flydubai in 2022. He is recovering in a Saudi hospital after being stabbed, and is credited with activating the cockpit door release despite his injuries. Little is verified about the alleged attacker: his citizenship is unconfirmed, he had worked at flydubai for less than a year, and he was taken into custody with no charges filed. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority requires a Class 1 medical certificate covering physical and mental health, with psychiatric conditions flagged for further assessment and screening for substance misuse. Aviation analyst Saj Ahmad said pilot vetting is very thorough, spanning security, financial and mental-health checks, but cautioned that such assessments are a single snapshot in time and cannot predict workplace behaviour. The investigation into the incident is continuing.