Israel Allowed Over 1,200 Aviation Crew Members from Banned Countries to Enter Despite Security Restrictions
Why It MattersThe lapse exposes gaps in foreign-crew vetting enforcement at national aviation authorities, raising scrutiny of security screening protocols for flights operating into sensitive airspace.
More than 1,200 aviation crew members from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel — including Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Oman — may have entered the country despite official restrictions, the Knesset's Intelligence Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was told. Israel's Transportation Ministry is the sole body designated to screen foreign aviation crew, under an internal security directive titled "Security Directive 2026: Security Measures for Foreign Passenger Flights Entering Israel's Aviation Supervision Area," issued to foreign airline security managers after the attempted hijacking of flydubai flight FZ1073. In practice, the ministry did not enforce such checks, leaving foreign airlines responsible for consulting the banned-nationalities list themselves.
The ministry also stopped screening pilots from foreign companies, did not require cross-checking of crew manifests against the banned list, and did not carry out required inspections. Committee participants said the revelation surprised the Transportation Ministry representative present, and it remains unclear whether the crew members actually entered Israel or continued onward without entering the country.
The disclosure followed the attempted hijacking of flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, in which the aircraft's Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe in an attempt to gain full control of the aircraft.
