Saudi Arabia launches air safety probe into flydubai incident: Reuters

Saudi Arabia has launched an air ‌accident probe following last week's cockpit stabbing on a flydubai jet, as experts examine any fallout for aviation safety alongside a separate UAE-led criminal investigation, three people close to the matter said.

Safety probes designed to keep flights safe are normal after accidents but are not mandatory when a deliberate act is involved, such as the suspected attempt by a co-pilot to bring down the Israel-bound flydubai jet on September 30.

Until now, it has remained unclear ⁠whether Saudi Arabia would go ahead with such a probe, which experts say could test a system of international co-operation designed to make recommendations for safety without attempting to assign blame.

The people close to the matter said Saudi Arabia had notified specialist aviation agencies abroad that it would carry out a safety investigation under international rules into flight FZ1073, which was in Saudi airspace when the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe.

Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center, which has responsibility for accident investigations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Saudi government and the country's regulator also did not answer requests for comment.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which would be closely involved in ‌any ⁠probe because the Boeing 737 MAX jet that survived a steep plunge was designed and built in the United States, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Officials in the UAE did not respond to requests for comment. Under international rules, the UAE would also automatically be involved because the jet is registered there and the airline is based in Dubai.

The UAE has already opened a ⁠separate criminal investigation into the incident, which its prosecutor general has called a "terrorist attack."

"We are still waiting for a notification from Saudi Arabia to invite us to take a part in the investigation," Ofer Vaknin, director of the Aircraft Safety Investigation Authority, said.

Reuters