Israel's Tax Authority Confirms Receiving Flydubai Crew Data Amid Pilot Security Probe

Details are emerging about a security lapse involving a Flydubai flight, revealing that information on the flight's crew was previously transmitted to Israeli systems. The Israel Tax Authority confirmed that its National Center for Passenger Data Diagnosis (MALAN), which operates under the authority, received the data. MALAN is designed to centralize advance passenger information, including crew details, as required by a 2023 law, enabling authorized bodies to process it for security checks.

Despite the data's arrival in Israeli systems, questions persist about why the co-pilot was not flagged during security screening. While the Tax Authority's role is to collect and relay information, the actual security vetting is the responsibility of designated security and professional bodies. According to the Ministry of Transport's security department, Israel does not conduct independent intelligence background checks on every foreign pilot or crew member. Instead, reliance is placed on airline declarations that crew members have already passed security screenings in their country of registration, alongside checks of the aircraft and operational conditions.

This incident has reignited discussions about Israel's commercial aviation security framework, which were previously addressed by a National Security Council document. In May 2024, the cabinet had ordered the formation of a team, led by the National Security Council, to examine and recommend improvements to the existing system. A previous recommendation suggested consolidating responsibility for security oversight, including chartered and foreign flights, under the Civil Aviation Authority.

The current investigation aims to determine where the failure occurred: whether the data was received but not retrieved, retrieved but not analyzed, or if there's a broader issue with inter-agency responsibility. The focus is not just on how the co-pilot ended up on the flight, but on the operational effectiveness of a system designed to proactively gather crew information.