Israel's Transportation Ministry Denies Responsibility for Foreign Flight Security

Israel's Ministry of Transportation has issued a strong rebuttal to claims suggesting its responsibility for security lapses concerning foreign flights, particularly in the case of an Omani co-pilot. The ministry asserts that foreign entities are spreading "fake news and lies" to present a misleading picture that conflates foreign flights with chartered flights operated by Israeli companies. Officials clarified that a document cited in some allegations pertains solely to chartered flights and not to those operated by foreign airlines.

According to the ministry, the security arrangements for incoming foreign aviation have been the responsibility of its Security Wing since 1977, based on existing legal frameworks and government decisions. This long-standing arrangement, they emphasize, is not a recent change set for mid-2025. The ministry explained that the discussed change in responsibility actually concerns chartered flights. Until 2021, all chartered flights were secured by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). In that year, the security cabinet decided the Shin Bet would only secure high-risk chartered flights. This created a gap in security for other chartered flights, a matter previously addressed by the State Comptroller. Following work led by the National Security Council, the Ministry of Transportation agreed to assume responsibility for non-Shin Bet secured chartered flights starting in early 2026, contingent on receiving the necessary budgets and staffing.

The ministry stressed that this move should not be linked to foreign aviation security. They stated that their Security Wing is not an intelligence body and therefore lacks the tools for intelligence background checks on all crew members or passengers. The wing's procedures are based on threat assessments from security bodies and include security arrangements in countries of origin, written commitments, and oversight of airlines and foreign airports. The ministry also noted that a dedicated budget has been allocated for computer systems and the regulation of chartered flights to address gaps and enhance oversight.

Regarding the specific Flydubai flight, the Ministry of Transportation presented a different account than previously reported. They stated the airline received explicit instructions, committed to conducting required background checks on its crew, and confirmed in writing that it had implemented nationality restrictions in its crew scheduling system. The ministry claims the crew list for flight FZ1073 was not received by the Ministry of Transportation, and the Security Wing does not have access to crew lists, contrary to reports that the co-pilot's details were transferred to Israel via the national passenger data system. A factual dispute exists over whether the crew list was received by the Israeli system, who had access to it, and if it was meant to be reviewed before the flight. The ministry emphasized that security bodies are investigating the incident and will address any deviations from the instructions given to the airline accordingly.