INDIAN captain of the Flydubai flight, Captain Smit Machchhar, has been hailed as a hero not only by the Indians but also by many other countries. He deserves every bit of accolades for the exemplary bravery shown to save the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight from crashing down in a possible terror conspiracy. Despite being stabbed by his co-pilot (the perpetrator), Captain Smith showed tremendous presence of mind and fighting spirit to overcome the initial shock and used his muscle memory to open the cockpit door for the passengers to overpower the attacker. His brave act helped the flight make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia and saved all 174 lives on the plane. Investigators are in an overdrive to find the motive of the attack by the Omani national captain but the incident has also raised several questions about air safety, especially in the cockpit. The Flydubai incident could have become another version of the horrific 9/11 attack as the initial probe has found that the Omani captain was trying to crash the plane. But for Captain Smit’s courage, the world could have witnessed a tragedy of gigantic proportions.

 

In the current phase where tensions are rising in almost every part of the world, the Flydubai crash would have definitely altered the international scenario. This makes Captain Smit Machchhar’s show of valour all the more significant. He not only saved so many lives but also avoided a geopolitical catastrophe. Going beyond what happened on the plane, the investigators will now have to dig deep to find how a cockpit became a battleground between a perpetrator and a co-pilot unaware of the danger to his life. Right from finding the security loophole that allowed a weapon to be carried to the aircraft to checking the listing of the Omani pilot on the roster, probe agencies and aviation officials will have to find the exact motive behind the incident.

 

Apart from the weapon in the cockpit, the most intriguing thing to find out is how an Omani national was allowed to fly a plane to Israel. Israel has long-standing agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots from flying into the country if they are citizens of nations that don’t maintain diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations, raising questions about how the suspect ended up on the Tel Aviv-bound flight. Thorough probe will find out the motive and the people behind the incident. However, the Flydubai mid-air drama has made sure that aviation security rules are set to become stringent all over the world. The International Civil Aviation Organisation has baseline pilot-vetting and licensing standards for all carriers operating in different countries. National regulators and airlines can impose additional requirements to these standards. Israel has some of the world’s most stringent air travel security measures.

 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also adheres to international aviation safety standards. Yet, all these safeguards failed to prevent a weapon entering the cockpit and subsequent dangerous plunge. Until this event, the possibility of a threat originating from a pilot or crew member was not considered a likely scenario by the aviation industry or security agencies. Security efforts traditionally focused heavily on passengers and their luggage. They had to undergo stricter scrutiny which used to rise manifold during a threat possibility, especially in India. All this is set to change now and crew members will now be put in the same bracket for heavy screening. Security protocols have changed for the better in all countries after disturbing incidents of hijack and terror attacks. India experienced the pain of a security lapse during the hijacking of IC 814 from Kathmandu to Kandahar. The United States is still haunted by planes crashing into the Twin Towers in the 9/11 tragedy. Changes and stringent rules to ensure security of air-flyers were in order after that. One more layer of security is now imminent after the Flydubai incident. The cockpit cannot remain a place without foolproof checks.