Former Airport Worker Reveals Transfer of Crew with Lebanese, Syrian Passports

This disclosure comes amidst an ongoing investigation in Israel following an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai plane. The former worker stated that such security lapses have been a long-standing and common issue across various airlines, not exclusively with Emirates.

She described the process as surprisingly easy, noting that even flight attendants from hostile countries passed through without significant scrutiny. While some crew members with dual passports, including those from enemy states, were denied entry when their secondary nationality was flagged by the system, the former employee expressed bewilderment that pilots from such nations were permitted to fly to Israel in the first place.

This testimony emerges shortly after the incident involving the Flydubai flight and a broader Israeli concern about potential copycat attacks. Authorities are investigating whether pilots with dual citizenship, including from enemy nations like Iran, Syria, and Iraq, have landed in Israel in recent years.

Israeli officials are reportedly still awaiting permission to question the pilot, relying on information from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In a press briefing, the Ministry of Transport's security department denied receiving aircrew lists in advance, asserting that background checks are conducted by the airlines themselves. They emphasized that the department is not an intelligence agency responsible for vetting foreign aircrew, but rather relies on the airlines and originating countries.

Shmuel Zakai, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, explained that Flydubai suspended its flights to Israel pending the investigation's conclusion, to ensure no further security breaches and to confirm the incident was the act of a lone perpetrator.