Arkia CEO Reveals Near-Disaster on Flydubai Flight
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Oz Berlovitz, CEO of Arkia, revealed a recent attempted hijacking on a Flydubai flight was "seconds from disaster" due to a security gap in vetting foreign flight crews entering Israel. He contrasted this with the U.S. TSA system, noting a lack of clear responsibility in Israel. The incident has prompted new security measures, though Berlovitz expressed concern about reactive security protocols.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Arkia CEO Oz Berlovitz described a recent Flydubai flight incident as "seconds from disaster" due to a security gap.
- Berlovitz pointed to a lack of thorough vetting for foreign flight crews entering Israel.
- He contrasted Israel's security procedures with the more stringent TSA system in the United States.
- The incident involved a pilot with dual passports who was under investigation.
- Berlovitz expressed concern that Israel's security approach is often reactive.
- The near-disaster could have significantly altered Israeli aviation regulations.
Oz Berlovitz, the CEO of Israeli airline Arkia, has revealed that a recent attempted hijacking on a Flydubai flight was "seconds from disaster" and could have fundamentally altered Israeli aviation.
Speaking in an interview with Channel 7's "The Bulldog" podcast, Berlovitz highlighted a significant security gap in the vetting of foreign flight crews entering Israel. He contrasted Israel's procedures with the more stringent system in the United States, where the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screens all foreign crew members before they can fly to the U.S.
"In Israel, this matter was apparently not locked down completely," Berlovitz stated, suggesting a lack of clear responsibility between Israel's security services and the Ministry of Transportation. He explained that while Israeli airlines have robust security checks for their own crews, and can impose conditions on leased aircraft, the vetting of crews from foreign airlines flying directly to Israel remains a weak point.
Berlovitz noted that the pilot involved in the incident held dual passports and was under investigation. He expressed surprise that the pilot was hired by Flydubai, given the airline's typically strict screening processes. The incident, which occurred shortly after the Sukkot holiday, also led to Arkia operating flights to bring Israelis back from Dubai amidst a shortage of available seats and high prices.
Berlovitz emphasized that Israeli airlines are not national security bodies and cannot be expected to conduct comprehensive background checks on every foreign pilot. He believes that the near-catastrophe has initiated some new security checks, but expressed concern that Israel tends to react to crises rather than proactively preventing them, stating, "We live from one incident to the next."
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