After Flydubai incident: Should Israelis prefer flying blue-and-white?

After a Flydubai flight incident involving around 180 passengers, including over 100 Israelis, concerns have emerged regarding the safety of flying with foreign carriers. The unusual event sparked a wave of discussion on social media, with many Israelis pondering the potential risks associated with choosing non-Israeli airlines for routes where domestic carriers do not operate.

One user noted the significant price hike at El Al post-incident, while others questioned whether the event would prompt Israelis to favor Israeli airlines, even at higher costs. Hagay Meyer, chairman of the Pilots Association, stated that it is too early to determine the exact cause of the incident and that the investigation's findings must be awaited.

However, he emphasized that Israeli companies have stricter security rules, making passengers feel more at ease when flying with them. Despite this, Meyer acknowledged that passengers choose foreign carriers due to the significant price gap between Israeli and non-Israeli airlines. He affirmed that an Israeli individual's decision to fly with a foreign company is a personal choice, but he highlighted the differences in how security is managed in Israeli companies.

Meyer urged passengers to be aware of these differences when making their decisions. According to him, the current incident does not allow conclusions to be drawn about the safety of Flydubai or foreign carriers in general, as any unusual incident requires a thorough investigation. He emphasized that airlines perform rigorous screening and psychological evaluations for pilots, along with training and refresher courses on CRM topics.

Meyer stressed that despite the rarity of such events, one should not infer from them that every passenger flying on a foreign carrier is in danger. He urged the public to wait for the investigation's findings before drawing conclusions about the incident or the airline.