In brief

The EU aviation security rules (Implementing Regulation 2015/1998, chapter 11) explicitly mention radicalisation: adopting extremist views that may lead to acts of terrorism. Under those rules, terrorist offences are a disqualifying ground: anyone convicted of one will not pass the background check.

The European background check

According to the European Cockpit Association, the European pilots' union, a lack of sufficient intelligence information can under these rules already be enough to fail the background check; the union points to the absence of an appeal procedure for pilots. Identity and criminal record: Under point 11.1.3, an enhanced background check includes at least establishing identity on the basis of documents and checking criminal records in all states where the person lived during the past five years. Education and employment: Education and employment history over the past five years are also checked, including any gaps. Intelligence information: The check also covers intelligence information and any other information available to national authorities that is relevant to assessing whether a person is suitable. Crew identity card: A crew identity card for a crew member of a European airline may only be issued after a successful enhanced background check, and is valid for a maximum of five years. Since when: These stricter rules have applied since 31 December 2020; older background checks remained valid until 30 June 2023 at the latest.

Repeat checks and continuous monitoring

The EU rules require a mechanism for continuous evaluation, under which any event that could affect a person's reliability is reported immediately, or otherwise a repeat of the enhanced background check at least every twelve months. Airlines and airports must also include internal policies against the insider threat in their security programme, with staff awareness and a security culture.

Psychological assessment and testing after Germanwings

The rules followed the Germanwings Flight 9525 disaster in 2015; the French investigation bureau BEA found that the medical examination had not prevented the co-pilot from continuing to fly, because the system relies on pilots reporting problems themselves between two examinations. Psychological assessment: Regulation (EU) 2018/1042 requires airlines to ensure that pilots have undergone a psychological assessment before starting line operations, to assess their psychological attributes and suitability for the work environment. Support programme: All pilots must have access to a proactive and non-punitive support programme that helps with problems that could affect safe flying. Alcohol and drugs: Airlines must have a policy to prevent and detect misuse of alcohol and drugs by flight and cabin crew, and member states carry out random alcohol tests on crews. Since when: The requirements on the psychological assessment, the support programme and alcohol testing have applied since 14 February 2021 (originally 14 August 2020; deferred by Regulation (EU) 2020/745).2

In the news: questions after flydubai FZ1073

The question of how pilots are screened arose after flydubai flight FZ1073 on 30 September 2026: according to the UAE Attorney General, the co-pilot attacked the captain in the cockpit, and he described it as an attempted terrorist act; the investigation is ongoing. According to CNN sources, the co-pilot had previously been removed from flight training at Oman Air after concerns about extremist views; flydubai did not comment while the investigation is ongoing. The European background check rules apply to European airlines and airports; flydubai is an airline from the UAE, which has its own rules. According to senior officials speaking to ABC News, extremist material was found on the co-pilot in 2024 during his training at Oman Air, after which he was no longer allowed to fly; investigators are trying to establish how he nevertheless ended up in the cockpit of a flydubai flight to Israel. A Gulf diplomat told AP that the co-pilot had passed the standard security checks before joining flydubai, but that these mainly checked whether he had a criminal conviction and did not look deeper into possible signs of radicalisation; this has not been confirmed by the authorities. On 9 October 2026, the UAE Attorney General said that, according to the Emirati investigation, the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 met the professional and security requirements for his employment, including a licence, a certificate of good conduct and the required checks, and that those procedures gave no indication of his plan. According to AP, Israel has agreements with foreign airlines not to deploy pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel on flights to Israel; Israel and Oman have no formal diplomatic relations. The Israeli Ministry of Transport, responsible since 2025 for the security of foreign flights to Israel, does not carry out its own intelligence checks on foreign pilots: it asks airlines to declare that their pilots have passed a background check and relies on the checks in their home country; after flydubai FZ1073, Prime Minister Netanyahu had the National Security Council review all security aspects of foreign flights to Israel. According to Ynet, pilots of private flights to Israel must submit their passport and employment history three days in advance, while foreign scheduled services receive a general assessment of the airline and the country of origin, followed by approval per season. After flydubai FZ1073, aviation experts told CNN and Al Jazeera that there is no international standard for background checks on pilots: licences and access passes are regulated per country, and recruitment procedures differ per airline. Speaking to CNN, aviation expert Alastair Rosenschein called for information sharing between airlines and countries, social media checks, random alcohol tests and regular psychological assessments; according to CNN, none of this is standard anywhere in the industry. After flydubai FZ1073, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) told CNN that its standards are continuously reviewed and are tightened when it identifies new priorities and practices.

Frequently asked questions

Are pilots screened for extremism?: Yes. Under the EU rules, terrorist offences are a disqualifying ground.