Former Airport Worker Claims Facilitating Crew from Hostile Nations

She stated, "I personally processed airline crew members, pilots, and flight attendants with Lebanese, Syrian, and other passports at the counter." She added that such security lapses have always existed across all airlines, not just with Emirates. The former worker also mentioned that flight attendants from hostile nations passed through the airport, noting, "It was bizarre how easily it happened." She clarified that some of these crew members attempted to enter Israel, and were denied entry when the system flagged their additional passports. These revelations come days after an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight bound for Israel. Israeli authorities are investigating whether pilots with dual citizenship, one of which is from an enemy state, have landed in Israel in recent years. Specifically, they are examining suspicions that pilots with Iranian, Syrian, and Iraqi citizenship have landed in Israel. The pilot involved in the recent hijacking attempt, Maam Al-Mammi, had reportedly visited Israel prior to the incident and had last landed at TLV a week before the flight. Israeli officials are currently unable to question the pilot, relying on reports from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Ministry of Transport's security division stated that the claim of receiving crew lists in advance was completely denied, asserting that background checks are conducted by the airlines, and the ministry requests their approval. The division emphasized that it is not an intelligence agency and relies on the airlines and the countries involved. Shmuel Zakai, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, explained that Flydubai halted flights to Israel under orders from authorities until the investigation concludes, to ensure no further security breaches and that the incident was the act of a lone perpetrator.