Israel's Passenger Security Database Fails to Track Dual-Nationality Flight Crews
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
Israel's National Passenger Security Database (Mal'an) only records one passport per flight crew member, potentially allowing individuals with citizenship from hostile nations to enter the country. This system's limitations were highlighted after a Flydubai incident and a recent discovery of an Ethiopian Airlines pilot with an Indonesian passport, leading to the flight's diversion. The Ministry of Transport has criticized the database's functionality, while the Tax Authority maintains it adheres to international standards.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel's passenger security database fails to track dual passports of flight crews.
- A pilot with an Indonesian passport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Israel was discovered and the plane diverted.
- The database was not used by the Ministry of Transport until after a Flydubai incident involving a co-pilot with an Omani passport.
- International standards require flight crews to present only one passport, according to the Tax Authority.
- The Ministry of Transport claims the database does not provide data early enough to prevent boarding from hostile nations.
Israel's National Passenger Security Database (Mal'an), which holds data on aircrews for all flights entering the country, only records one passport per pilot, according to the Tax Authority. This means that if a foreign airline pilot holds two passports, for example, British and Omani, only one will be listed in the database. Consequently, if a pilot has citizenship from a country whose flights are banned from entering Israel for security reasons, the Ministry of Transport would not be aware of this if the pilot uses their second passport.
The Tax Authority, which operates the database, confirmed that the system complies with international standards and law, stating that Mal'an receives crew passport details from airlines. International standards require crews to present only one passport. This revelation follows an incident involving a Flydubai flight where the co-pilot, who held an Omani passport, allegedly attempted to crash the plane with Israeli passengers. Investigations revealed that despite a mechanism prohibiting entry for crews from hostile nations, hundreds of individuals with citizenship from such countries entered Israel in the past year.
Tax Authority officials disclosed that the Ministry of Transport was supposed to utilize Mal'an's data for this purpose since its establishment three years prior but failed to do so until after the Flydubai incident. The Ministry of Transport countered that the database lacks essential data required by law, specifically its inability to provide crew data 48 hours before a flight, only upon closing the aircraft doors. They argued this renders the database ineffective for preventing the boarding of crews from hostile nations.
Despite the Ministry's claims of the system's inefficiency, it recently connected to Mal'an. Two weeks ago, the Ministry discovered a pilot on an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Israel held an Indonesian passport, and Ethiopia is on Israel's list of hostile countries. The Ministry's security division decided to turn the plane back to Ethiopia. The Ministry of Transport did not provide a comment on this specific matter.