Israel Debates Responsibility for Aviation Security Lapses

Following an attempted attack on a Flydubai flight, questions have arisen regarding the division of responsibility for the security of foreign airlines operating in Israel. The Ministry of Transportation, legally mandated to oversee foreign aviation safety, claims it did not receive pilot lists and relied solely on reports from foreign companies. This has led to a situation where the ministry is unaware of the identities of pilots who have landed in Israel in recent years.

The current procedure dictates that foreign airlines must submit crew lists to the National Passenger Screening Center (Mal'an), a body within the Tax Authority. Both the Mossad and the Shin Bet have access to these lists. The Ministry of Transportation, responsible for enforcing safety standards with foreign carriers, asserts it was unaware of its obligation to receive and vet these names, despite legal requirements.

The Ministry of Transportation's Security Department acts as the regulator for foreign airlines, enforcing established parameters. Its Aviation Security Operations Center (Mamlat) receives lists of incoming aircraft and crew, tasked with their oversight. A law passed by the Knesset assigns primary responsibility to the ministry, and a 2003 government decision further designates the Minister of Transportation as responsible for screening and monitoring civilian aircraft entering Israeli airspace.

The Mamlat serves as a security gateway for all air traffic into Israel, functioning as a dedicated situation room for controlling procedures and security permits. It acts as a constant security coordination point between airlines, the Airport Authority, the government, and security agencies. An advanced computer system, developed by Elbit, processes data from various sources to identify and flag suspicious flights in real-time.

The Shin Bet is responsible for the security of Israeli airlines and relays security requirements to foreign carriers, including prohibitions on employing crew from enemy states or countries without diplomatic relations with Israel. These companies are also required to conduct background and reliability checks on pilots. If suspicions arise, the Ministry of Transportation is supposed to alert the Mossad, which then becomes involved in the investigation.

Recent revelations indicate that no Israeli entity was aware that a pilot involved in the Flydubai incident had his flights suspended by Oman due to religious extremism and had previously landed in Israel. The Ministry of Transportation reportedly accepted airline reports without conducting intelligence checks. An internal National Security Council document from last year, as reported by Galatz, indicated that the Ministry of Transportation has not fulfilled its role in the security chain since the Shin Bet relinquished responsibility for foreign flight security in 2021.

Minister of Transportation Miri Regev has pointed fingers at the Shin Bet, stating, "The list did not come to us, we are not an intelligence body." Security officials acknowledge the global threat posed by potentially radicalized pilots in foreign airlines and are engaged in international cooperation to identify them, admitting that preventing future incidents entirely is impossible without halting foreign aviation to Israel.