Ynet reports that repeated warnings about gaps in screening foreign flight crews were ignored for years before the attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight to Israel. The Transportation Ministry disputes the account, stating it never received the flight's crew list, even though Israeli authorities had the information.
The Zioneer reports, citing Ynet, that longstanding security warnings regarding the vetting of foreign flight crews were not addressed prior to the attempted hijacking of flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30. The report alleges that repeated alerts went unheeded, while the Transportation Ministry counters that it never received the crew list for the flight, despite the information being available to Israeli authorities.
The new report adds to a growing picture of security lapses. Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the appointment of an examiner to conduct a comprehensive review of all aspects of foreign civil aviation security for flights to Israel (The Zioneer, 20:20). Separately, an investigation revealed that a Transport Ministry official tasked with supervising foreign airlines allegedly accepted money from Emirati sources (The Zioneer, 20:39).
The flydubai incident itself—in which the Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft—has prompted a joint Mossad-Shin Bet investigation and a six-day suspension of flydubai operations to Israel. CBS reported earlier that flydubai allegedly hired al-Hammami without a background check despite extremist red flags.
The full scope of the alleged security failures and the outcome of the ministry's investigation remain unclear.
- ConfirmedFlydubai co-pilot reportedly targeted Tel Aviv-bound flights months before attack, sought airlines flying to Israel
- StrongShin Bet investigating terrorist who attempted to hijack Flydubai flight
- DevelopingN12 publishes cockpit footage from Flydubai flight, shows wounded pilot and passengers' arrest fears
- StrongFlydubai: Circumstances of Tel Aviv-bound flight incident still under investigation
Source and signal
- Open-source intake