"Fly Dubai" incident: Israel bans flight crews from about 30 countries from flying in its airspace

Israel has banned flight crews from about 30 countries with which it does not maintain diplomatic relations from flying in its airspace, against the backdrop of the "Fly Dubai" incident. The restrictions include Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while Morocco and the UAE are exempted. Israel also requires foreign airlines to check pilots' and flight crews' dual nationalities and to submit lists of names 48 hours before takeoff.

Israel has banned flight crews from about 30 countries with which it does not maintain diplomatic relations from flying in its airspace, against the backdrop of the "Fly Dubai" incident. The decision came according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11) and international media, which noted that the Israeli Ministry of Transport tightened the measures against the backdrop of "drawing lessons" from the incident. Among the countries covered by the ban: Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Morocco and the UAE are not included in the restrictions. The restrictions also apply to dual nationals, as Israel demands that foreign airlines verify the dual nationalities of pilots and flight crews, and flight crews holding American or European nationality are not allowed to join flights heading to Israel if they hold an additional nationality of a country that does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. Foreign airlines are also required to provide local authorities with the names of flight crews 48 hours before the departure time. A spokesperson for the airline "Swiss" told a Swiss newspaper that, against the backdrop of the new Israeli directive, the company asked its crews to report any other nationalities they hold.