MOT : No independent background or intelligence checks on pilots from foreign airlines flying to Israel

 Report, photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

According to The Times of India, Israel's Ministry of Transportation (MOT) discloses on 4 October 2026 that it does not currently conduct independent background or intelligence checks on pilots from foreign airlines flying to Israel; instead, it relies primarily on screening performed by the airlines themselves and the regulatory authorities of their home countries.

Previous reports indicate that on 30 September 2026, a Flydubai passenger flight en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, experienced a cockpit incident. The co-pilot stabbed the captain but was subsequently subdued by other crew members and passengers, who also took control of the aircraft; the flight was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The plane landed safely; both the captain and co-pilot were injured and hospitalized, while all passengers and other crew members remained unharmed.

Following the incident, the Israeli government announced plans to tighten screening for pilots on all flights bound for Israel, covering both domestic and foreign carriers. However, as of now, no new mandatory screening procedures, designated responsible agencies, deadlines for submitting personnel information, or implementation dates have been announced.

Tamir Uri, head of the security division at the Israeli MOT, stated that the ministry neither receives the names of foreign pilots nor conducts its own security or intelligence background checks. The division's practice is to require airlines to confirm that their flight crews have undergone security screening and to liaise directly with the airlines within the scope of its statutory authority.

A representative from the ministry's security division remarked, "We are not an intelligence agency that conducts intelligence background checks on foreign nationals."

Meanwhile, Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev stated that assessing aviation security risks falls under the purview of Israel's security agencies, rather than the Ministry of Transportation.

Regarding Flydubai flight FZ1073, the ministry's security division stated that it had received only a declaration from Flydubai confirming that the flight's pilots had undergone security screening; this declaration was recorded within the airline's systems. Uri stated that Israel employs a screening framework—aligned with international rules and administered by the competent authorities of the countries where the airlines and flight crews are based—though this system cannot guarantee absolute security.

Israel had previously announced arrangements with foreign airlines to, in principle, bar pilots from countries lacking diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights to the country. However, the Ministry of Transport acknowledged the difficulty of tracking the actual number of such personnel entering the country on flights, noting that compliance verification is largely handled by the foreign airlines themselves.

Reports indicate that the co-pilot involved in flight FZ1073 is an Omani national; Oman and Israel do not maintain formal diplomatic relations. Media reports suggest that, in recent years, dozens of Omani pilots have operated flights to Israel for Flydubai. These details currently stem primarily from media accounts, as Israeli regulatory authorities have not yet disclosed complete operational records or the results of compliance checks.