JD Vance on foreign pilot vetting in US: "shouldn't have been flying planes"

JD Vance said the alleged Sept. 30 cockpit attack on flydubai flight FZ1073 has prompted a US review of aviation security practices, including how officials decide whether someone should be allowed to operate a passenger jet. The Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight’s co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly assaulted Captain Smit Machchhar and tried to seize the Boeing 737 MAX 8; Israeli and UAE authorities have described it as a terrorist attempt. The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had previously raised concerns about al-Hammami’s extremist views and barred him from flying, but did not share those concerns with other airlines or authorities, and that flydubai did not contact Oman before hiring him in February. Asked about foreign pilots in the US, Vance said entrants must be closely vetted for security risks and cited the September 11 attacks.