Passenger Yaniv Hayoun pulled back on the controls at 9:22 a.m. after al-Hammami attempted to damage onboard systems, and two additional pilots restored normal flight at 9:25 a.m., the report said. Machchhar separately described opening the cockpit door twice because the attacker closed it after his first attempt. Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, and additional pilots landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Scrutiny is also widening over crew screening. Israel received the passenger and crew list 48 hours before departure, including the co-pilot’s Omani citizenship, Haaretz reported. The Tax Authority confirmed receiving the list, but the Transportation Ministry would not say whether it reviewed it. The ministry’s security division says its procedures do not cover screening airline crew members. Flydubai has suspended Tel Aviv service until further notice.