Amid reports of security lapse over the flydubai incident, Israel's Transportation Ministry has said that it does not conduct background checks on pilots flying into the country and cannot guarantee that those flights are "100 percent" safe. However, reports indicate that in mid-2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unequivocally placed responsibility for the security of foreign airlines flying to Israel with the Transportation Ministry and its Security Division. However, reports said that officials argued that they lacked the necessary tools, authority and budget. According to a report aired Sunday morning by Army Radio, the Shin Bet relinquished responsibility for securing foreign flights in 2021, while the Transportation Ministry failed to assume that responsibility in practice. The State Comptroller reportedly pointed to the issue in a classified May 2024 report that remains under gag order.
“We are not an intelligence body that checks the intelligence background of foreigners,” a representative of the division said in a statement, according to Israel daily Ynet. “We have no forces abroad. We have no staff that checks every person there.” It added that background checks are left to the airlines. “Nothing is 100% when it comes to security,” it said.
What happened?
Flydubai flight FZ1073 which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with roughly 150 to 180 mostly Israeli passengers, experienced a violent, rapid dive, plunging between 14,000 and 17,000 feet in under two minutes. This happened when Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot, who was later identified by multiple media outlets as Hamam al-Hammami. As the aircraft plunged, the aircraft's cockpit transponder sent code 7500, the universal aviation signal for an unlawful interference or hijacking. This alerted neighboring air traffic sectors, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, that the aircraft’s command systems were actively compromised. Despite suffering injuries, Indian pilot managed to unlock the cockpit door. As the cockpit door opened, passengers and crew entered the cockpit and overpowered and restrained the co-pilot. They safely diverted and landed the plane at Tabuk Regional Airport (TUU) in Saudi Arabia.

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