Israel's Transport Ministry says it doesn't conduct foreign pilot security checks, relies on airlines

Israel’s Transport Ministry relies on airlines and authorities in their home countries to conduct security checks on foreign flight crews, a ministry security official told i24NEWS' Hebrew channel.

Tamir Uri of the ministry’s Security Division said the department does not receive pilots’ names or independently carry out security or intelligence checks. Instead, it receives confirmation from the airline that its pilots have been screened, in accordance with international regulations.

Uri said the division works directly with airlines within the limits of its legal authority. He emphasized that it is not an intelligence agency and relies on airlines and the relevant authorities in their countries of origin to vet foreign crew members.

Asked about the FlyDubai pilot accused of stabbing a fellow pilot, Uri said the department had not received his name.

“We only received a statement from FlyDubai that those pilots underwent a security check,” he said, adding that the airline had incorporated Israel’s request into its systems.

Uri acknowledged that the screening system could not provide an absolute guarantee of security. He said Israel follows a framework used worldwide, under international regulations binding on airlines.

Asked how many pilots from countries hostile to Israel had flown into the country, he said he did not have an answer. "We do know that our request was integrated into the company's systems; we did not receive the name of the pilot in this specific case. We only received a statement from FlyDubai that those pilots underwent a security check."

Shmuel Zakai, director of Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority, said his agency oversees aircraft airworthiness and airline maintenance, while security falls under the responsibility of the security authorities. "We do not have responsibility for security matters. Our responsibility is for the airworthiness of aircraft, ensuring that the airline maintains the planes; all security matters are in the hands of the security authorities."

Zakai nevertheless said the airline was prohibited from allowing the pilot to operate the flight because he held a passport from a country with which Israel has no diplomatic relations.

Asked whether pilots from enemy countries had flown into Israel in previous years, Zakai said the authority’s working assumption was that this had not happened. "Our working assumption is that this has not happened."