Ex-Ben Gurion Airport Employee Reveals Security Lapses for Foreign Crews

A former employee of Ben Gurion Airport has revealed long-standing security issues, stating that flight crews from countries hostile to Israel were able to pass through security checks with relative ease. The former employee told N12 that during her tenure, she personally processed crew members, including pilots and flight attendants, who held Lebanese, Syrian, and other passports from adversarial nations. She emphasized that these were not isolated incidents and involved various airlines, not just those from the UAE.

According to the former employee, these security breaches were a persistent problem, with flight attendants from hostile countries frequently passing through the airport. She described the situation as "crazy" because it all happened "easily." While some crew members attempting to enter Israel were denied entry when a secondary passport was detected by the system, she expressed bewilderment at how pilots from hostile countries were permitted to fly into Israel.

Her testimony comes days after an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight bound for Israel. In response, Israeli authorities are currently investigating whether pilots with dual citizenship, where one country is an adversary of Israel, have landed at Ben Gurion Airport in recent years. The investigation is examining the possibility of pilots with Iranian, Syrian, or Iraqi citizenship having entered Israel.

Earlier reports indicated that the pilot suspected in the Flydubai incident had visited Israel the week before the attempted hijacking. Israeli officials have not yet been permitted to question the pilot, who is reportedly suspected of attempting to crash the plane carrying 174 Israeli passengers. Israel is currently relying on information from Saudi Arabia and the UAE regarding the suspect, with potential interrogation opportunities possibly arising later.

The Ministry of Transport's security department has denied claims that crew lists were provided to Israeli authorities in advance. They stated that airlines conduct background checks on their crew members, and the ministry requests confirmation of these checks. The department clarified that it does not independently vet foreign crew members' backgrounds, instead relying on the airline and its country of registration.

Shmuel Zakai, head of the Civil Aviation Authority, explained that Flydubai suspended flights to Israel pending the investigation to ensure there were no new vulnerabilities and that the incident involved a single perpetrator.