ISRAEL TIGHTENING SECURITY CHECKS ON PILOTS

JERUSALEM, SEPTEMBER 30 /SRNA/ – Israel is going to tighten security checks on pilots flying into the country, Doron Spielman, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, said following an incident on a Flydubai flight.

“Every pilot who will fly to Israel – we will know his identity, who he is, and we will carry out some form of security check,” Spielman said.

He added that Netanyahu had instructed the authorities to “increase security” on flights to Israel operated by both Israeli and foreign carriers.

The dramatic incident aboard a Flydubai aircraft ended after passengers overpowered the co-pilot, who had stabbed the pilot and attempted to bring down the plane. Pilots who were off duty took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Saudi Arabia.

Pilots have been subject to stringent security checks, particularly since the September 11, 2001 attacks, aviation experts told Reuters.

“Every pilot undergoes extensive background checks, as well as continuous medical and psychological assessments,” said Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University in the United Kingdom.

Individual countries and airlines are responsible for implementing the screening and security standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, but experts say there is flexibility in how those standards are interpreted.

Two pilots working in the Middle East, but not for Flydubai, told Reuters that pilots must undergo the same security screening as passengers, meaning they cannot bring weapons such as knives or guns onto an aircraft.

“It is always the responsibility of the airline. The airline must carry out the appropriate checks in accordance with national guidelines concerning who is in the cockpit; each country does it differently,” said Erik Schouten, head of the consulting firm Diamis.