At least dozens of Omani pilots had flown flydubai's Dubai-Tel Aviv route in recent years despite an Israeli restriction barring pilots from countries without diplomatic ties with Israel from flying into the country, Channel 12 reported Thursday, exposing a gap in the security checks that preceded this week's attack on a flydubai flight.
The report said Israeli authorities had effectively left enforcement of the restriction to foreign airlines, rather than independently verifying the nationality and background of flight crews arriving in Israel. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Read more: Flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, attempted 'terrorist' attack, UAE says
The revelation comes after an Omani flydubai copilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to take control of Flight FZ1073 while it was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Passengers, the injured captain and other pilots aboard the aircraft intervened, and the Boeing 737 MAX 8 eventually made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The passengers were later flown to Israel.
Under arrangements linked to the 2020 Abraham Accords, pilots from countries that do not maintain relations with Israel are not permitted to fly into Israel, according to the report. Yet the network said dozens of Omani pilots had nevertheless operated flights to Tel Aviv in recent years.
The report raises a central question for investigators: how did an Omani pilot become part of the crew of an Israel-bound flight when his nationality was covered by a restriction that authorities were supposed to enforce?
Shin Bet relied on airlines to enforce pilot restriction
The Shin Bet security service did not reportedly conduct independent checks into the origins of flydubai's pilots. Instead, it had asked the airline not to use pilots from countries that lacked diplomatic ties with Israel.
The Transportation Ministry told the network that the Shin Bet had not issued a specific warning concerning flydubai, apart from a request for increased baggage checks.
An unnamed airline industry official cited by Channel 12 questioned why Israeli authorities had not used existing security capabilities to establish who was operating the airline's flights into Israel.
The report also pointed to a 2024 recommendation by Israel's State Comptroller's Office calling for a review of security procedures relating to air travel.
The Transportation Ministry is now expected to face scrutiny over the work of the Center for Aviation Security Operations, established in recent years to monitor the entry of flight crews into Israel, it added.
The security lapse is being examined alongside the wider investigation into Wednesday's attack. Israeli security agencies are trying to establish whether the Omani copilot acted alone or had links to a wider organisation, while authorities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are separately investigating the incident.
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Attack puts scrutiny on Israel-UAE aviation arrangements
The flydubai incident has also exposed tensions over how security responsibilities are divided between Israel and foreign airlines operating into the country.
Israel had trusted foreign carriers to comply with the restriction on pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel rather than systematically checking crews itself. The fact that Omani pilots had operated the route over several years has now brought that arrangement under renewed scrutiny.
The investigation into the attack itself remains ongoing. Initial information passed to Israeli authorities pointed to a possible nationalist motive, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Omani copilot had undergone Islamist radicalisation. The UAE, however, has reportedly objected to Israel drawing a definitive conclusion about the motive before its investigation is complete.
The Mossad and Shin Bet are also examining whether the copilot acted independently or on behalf of a terror group. Israeli authorities have not confirmed any involvement by Iran, and the circumstances and motive remain under investigation.
