US pilot refused, Omani not: the absurdity, and Israel's reliance on an email from 2020

ynet reveals that the Transportation Ministry is tightening pilot checks on private flights, but in the commercial arena, lawlessness prevails. A 2020 document shows that Flydubai committed to complying with nationality restrictions, but in practice there is no oversight. Minister Regev places responsibility on the Mossad, while the Transportation Ministry claims they lack intelligence capabilities to vet foreign crews.

ynet exposes a serious security gap in Israeli aviation: while the Transportation Ministry enforces strict background checks on pilots in private aircraft, foreign commercial flights operate with almost total lawlessness. A document obtained by ynet shows that Flydubai committed in writing in 2020 to comply with the nationality restrictions set by Israel, but in practice, due to a lack of oversight, companies can employ pilots from hostile countries without anyone checking. Minister Miri Regev placed responsibility for the failure on the Mossad, but the Transportation Ministry claims they lack intelligence capabilities to vet foreign crews. Security sources note that no one delves into the granularity of checking individual pilots on commercial flights, unlike private flights where an American pilot who visited Iraq and a Jewish businessman who had never been to Israel were previously rejected. This gap, it is argued, exposes Israel to a significant security risk.