Indian pilot Smit Machchhar has been recognized as a hero following a serious incident involving a flydubai flight, where he bravely confronted his co-pilot, who allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft during its journey from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Despite sustaining injuries from a stabbing, Machchhar managed to unlock and open the cockpit door, enabling other crew members to enter and subdue the assailant. As previously reported by The Indian Express, cockpit doors are designed to be highly secure and are locked from the inside to prevent unauthorized access, a practice that became standard after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Machchhar’s decisive actions not only prevented a potential disaster but were also deemed fortunate, given the inherent difficulties of operating the cockpit door even under normal circumstances. This article will examine how the cockpit access system functions and the enhancements it has undergone over the past quarter-century due to rising security concerns.
The cockpit door acts as a barrier between the pilots, who control the aircraft through a complex array of buttons, gauges, and levers, and the rest of the passengers and crew. Typically, the door is devoid of handles and requires coordination between the pilots to be opened. A crew member wishing to enter the cockpit during a flight must first input a code on a keypad located outside the door. Upon successful entry of the code, the pilots receive an alert and must then change the door’s setting on their control panel to allow access.
This control panel features three modes: normal, unlocked, and locked. Under normal conditions, the door remains locked but can be accessed after a 30-second delay once the correct code is entered. In the locked setting, pilots must explicitly grant access, adding an additional layer of security.
Typically, the cockpit doors are kept locked throughout the flight, but in emergencies, entering a specific code can briefly allow access after the designated delay.
The need for such security measures arose in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, during which 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial flights. Two of these planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers, while a third struck the Pentagon. The fourth flight was prevented from reaching its target in Washington, D.C., thanks to the courageous efforts of passengers and crew members.
These traumatic events reshaped global security policies and travel norms. Before the attacks, airport security was minimal, allowing passengers to arrive shortly before their flights without extensive checks. As journalist David Schaper noted for NPR, travelers could pass through security with relative ease, often without even needing to present identification.
Prior to 9/11, cockpit doors were sometimes locked, but a law enacted in November 2001 mandated stricter safety protocols. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) allocated funds for reinforcing cockpit doors to prevent unauthorized access and recommended the installation of video monitoring systems to alert the cockpit crew to any disturbances in the passenger area.
In accordance with ATSA and a directive from January 2002, U.S. agencies ensured that commercial airlines fortified cockpit doors to protect against intrusions and attacks using firearms or explosive devices. By April 2003, compliance with this requirement was achieved by all air carriers, as reported by the Philadelphia International Airport.
Today’s cockpit doors are constructed from durable, bullet-resistant materials. The aftermath of the 9/11 attacks also eliminated the practice of pilots operating aircraft with the doors open or allowing visitors, including crew members or passengers, inside the cockpit during flight.
However, the stringent security measures have faced criticism over time. Following the flydubai incident, aviation expert Philip Baum highlighted to The Guardian that the industry has experienced more fatalities from cases of pilot-assisted suicide than from terrorism since 9/11. Other specialists contend that such safety protocols are crucial for the well-being of pilots and the overall safety of flights.
A notable incident that raised concerns about cockpit security was the 2015 crash of a Germanwings Airbus A320, in which one co-pilot locked the other out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the aircraft into the French Alps, resulting in the deaths of all 150 individuals on board.
This tragedy prompted a reevaluation of cockpit access protocols. At that time, the German aviation safety authority mandated that when two pilots are present, one may leave the cockpit only for a brief interval. Some airlines adopted a “rule of two,” which requires that if a pilot exits, another crew member must take their place. However, this rule was not uniformly applied across all major airlines, including Lufthansa.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had briefly enforced a requirement for two crew members to remain in the cockpit at all times, but this rule was later relaxed. Currently, maintaining a two-person presence in the cockpit has become standard practice among airlines worldwide.
