Yedioth Ahronoth: Security warnings and Netanyahu’s admission that there is a “loophole” in the Flydubai flight

Bethlehem - Ofoq News - Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper (ynet) revealed increasing questions about the security and control procedures that allowed the Omani co-pilot on Flydubai flight FZ1073 to work on board the plane heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that there was a “loophole” in the security system.

According to the report, the head of the Israeli General Security Service "Shin Bet" David Zinni had warned during the past months that the level of security protection for flights coming from the Emirates does not meet the required level, but Flydubai is a foreign company, and therefore its security measures do not fall directly under the responsibility of the Shin Bet, as is the case with Israeli airlines.

The newspaper says that this matter brought to the fore a fundamental question: Who was supposed to ensure that the plane’s crew members met Israeli security conditions, and who was responsible for stopping the appointment of the Omani pilot?

Netanyahu had said in an interview with Fox News that there are restrictions that prevent the operation of pilots from countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel on flights heading to it, adding that the Omani co-pilot was able to bypass these restrictions, describing what happened as a “loophole” and stressing that the authorities are working to address it. He also said that it was necessary to conduct pre-examinations for pilots.

Who is responsible for monitoring foreign flights?

According to the official website of the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority, the authority is responsible for licensing and monitoring airlines, and also carries out inspections on foreign companies and foreign aircraft arriving in Israel, and supervises aviation workers within its regulatory responsibilities.

At the same time, the aviation security system in Israel operates through several parties, which makes identifying the party that was supposed to discover the violation or prevent the operation of the Omani pilot a main focus of the current investigations.

Reports related to the topic indicate that this problem is not new; The Israeli State Comptroller previously addressed international civil aviation security, and recommended reviewing the distribution of responsibilities among the various parties and establishing a clearer framework for dealing with international aviation security, including foreign flights entering Israel.

Investigations after the Flydubai incident

This comes after the incident that occurred on board the plane, when the Omani co-pilot assaulted the pilot of the plane inside the cockpit, in an incident that led to the flight deviating and making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after members of the crew and passengers intervened and took control of the situation. Investigations are still examining the attacker's motives and whether he acted alone or whether there was an entity behind him.

In a separate development, US President Donald Trump said that what he is hearing indicates a possible link between the attacker and Iran, but he clarified that investigations into this are still ongoing. On the other hand, Israeli media reported, citing security authorities, that there are still no conclusive indications of a direct Iranian attack.

Thus, the Flydubai incident not only leaves a question about the motives of the attacker, but also opens a broader file regarding the mechanisms of security vetting of foreign flight crew members, the distribution of responsibilities between the security services and aviation authorities, and how the “loophole” that Netanyahu spoke about was able to gain access to the cockpit.