'We don’t do background checks on foreign pilots': Israeli minister on flydubai incident

Israel's transportation ministry disclosed on Saturday that it does not perform background checks on foreign pilots arriving in the country, and cannot ensure that flights operated by foreign airlines are "100 percent" secure. The ministry's security division stated it does not receive pilot and crew information in advance, and lacks the capability to conduct background checks on foreign pilots entering Israel.

"We are not an intelligence body that checks the intelligence background of foreigners," a division official explained to Ynet. "We have no forces overseas. We have no staff that verifies individuals abroad."

The comments followed reports that pilots from hostile nations have repeatedly flown planes into Israel despite regulations meant to prevent such incidents. The attacker in the flydubai incident, Hamam al-Hammami, was from Oman, a country without diplomatic ties to Israel. The security division declined to disclose the number of pilots from hostile states that had landed in Israel, stating that background checks are outsourced to the airlines themselves.

The ministry's representative emphasized that security is never 100% certain, and the only way to prevent such threats is to prohibit foreign airlines from landing in Israel. Transportation Minister Miri Regev told the Kan public broadcaster that evaluating air travel security is the responsibility of Israel's security establishment. "Those who determine the threat level and decide whether travel to a certain destination is safe are security officials," she stated.

Israel maintains agreements with foreign airlines to prevent pilots from countries without diplomatic relations from flying into the country. Oman, where the co-pilot was from, and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations. A regional official and a source familiar with the matter revealed that the co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman due to concerns about his adoption of extremist views. The co-pilot was subsequently transferred to an administrative role at Oman Air, according to an AP report.

The co-pilot later joined Flydubai, a UAE-based airline, but it was unclear how extensively he was vetted before being hired. A Gulf diplomat said the co-pilot underwent routine security checks, primarily focused on criminal convictions rather than radicalization. A regional official said four regional countries, including the United States and Western governments, were investigating the co-pilot's motives. So far, the investigation has found no connections to militant groups, suggesting the co-pilot acted alone.

The co-pilot was born in the UAE, with his mother being Syrian. He obtained Omani nationality through his father, who was also Omani. The official also mentioned that the co-pilot had traveled to Syria, without providing further details.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Friday that the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radicalization" but provided no evidence. The flydubai flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after an extreme descent that detached part of the aircraft's rudder. Aviation experts deemed it fortunate that the plane did not crash. Flydubai claimed that crew members serving as passengers assisted in stabilizing the aircraft and achieving a safe landing.

Captain Machcchar sustained injuries in the incident. The captain and co-pilot were subsequently transferred to the UAE, while the passengers, mostly Israeli, returned home on a separate flight later on Wednesday.