Airlines wake up to ‘insider threat’ after flydubai attack

NEW DELHI: The unprecedented incident aboard flydubai’s Dubai-Tel Aviv flight has added a “new dimension” to aviation security, prompting calls for airlines to conduct regular psychometric evaluations of pilots amid concerns about an “insider threat”. Airlines with a significant proportion of expatriate crew, particularly in the Gulf, may also need to be more careful when rostering pilots of different nationalities on specific routes.Israel vets crew of all flights landing in the country. Going by that, there was talk that the flydubai co-pilot — an Omani national, according to Israel foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar — ought not to have been rostered on this flight. Sa’ar has termed the incident a “jihadist terror attack”, adding that though there’s no evidence yet, the main motive was to derail Israel-UAE ties.“Airlines conduct psychometric evaluation at induction and then mostly at the time of command upgrade (when a co-pilot becomes a captain) and other promotions, such as that to be a trainer,” said a senior official of an Indian airline. “In big airlines with a large number of crew members, frequent pairing of the same set of personnel does not happen. So, even if someone’s conduct is amiss, no one is likely to notice, and this leads to poor peer-to-peer reporting. There has to be greater surveillance for this issue now. Unlike weapons and explosives hidden in baggage that can be detected, it is difficult to fathom what is going on in a person’s mind.”Union aviation secretary Samir Sinha called the flydubai incident “unfortunate”, adding, “But we are very proud of Captain Smit. We would not like to delve into it as it pertains to some other country. The matter is under examination, and an internal deliberation is on to decide whether any security advisory is needed to be issued.”Airlines in nearby regions — particularly the Gulf, but also Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka — employ many Indian pilots who are not rostered on flights to Pakistan. A senior Indian pilot working for a foreign airline recalled flying to Karachi about two decades ago, when his aircraft developed a snag. “I was the only one who did not get a crew visa to leave the airport, and had to sleep in the aircraft. The next morning, I was sent on a flight to Dubai by my airline,” he said.Israel conducts background checks on foreign crew members scheduled to operate flights to the country before allowing them entry.Another Indian pilot, who works for the general aviation arm of a large foreign airline, said: “As a rule, Indian passport-holders are not assigned charters to Pakistan. When the Russia-Ukraine war erupted, European pilots were not sent to Russia flights. Aircraft were not allowed to fly direct from Venezuela to the US and we used to travel via some third country. That changed when Venezuela’s then president Nicolas Maduro was captured this Jan.”Geopolitical tensions have worsened since Covid, with the Russia-Ukraine and India-Pakistan conflicts and the US-Iran war turning the region’s skies into a virtual minefield.Western airlines do not overfly Russia. When an Air India flight between India and North America diverts to Russia, US passport-holders breathe easier once they board an alternative aircraft to their destination. Diversions to Pakistan also cause unease among passengers on flights to or from India.“The global situation must cool down fast, as it is deepening the fault lines of the region,” said an official.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.