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A report said Israel had left enforcement of the restriction largely to the foreign airlines, rather than independently checking the nationality & background of every foreign pilot
Israel’s Shin Bet security service did not independently examine the origins of Flydubai’s pilots, beyond asking the airline not to use pilots from countries that lacked ties with Israel. (Reuters)
The brutal Flydubai cockpit attack has now opened up a second aviation-security question—How was an Omani pilot allowed to operate a flight into Israel when the country reportedly bars pilots from nations that do not have diplomatic ties with it?
The question has gained urgency after reports that dozens of Omani pilots had flown Flydubai’s Dubai-Tel Aviv route in recent years, despite Oman having no diplomatic relations with Israel.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Israeli authorities had effectively relied on foreign airlines to enforce the restriction on pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel. The report said Israel’s Shin Bet security service did not independently examine the origins of Flydubai’s pilots, beyond asking the airline not to use pilots from countries that lacked ties with Israel.
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The issue has come under scrutiny after an Omani national serving as the co-pilot of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 stabbed Indian Captain Smit Machchhar during the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on September 30 and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
What Is The Rule?
The issue is more complicated than a simple nationality-based ban.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Flydubai’s agreement to operate flights to Israel reportedly states that its pilots must come from countries that have normalised relations with Israel. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev subsequently sought to halt Flydubai flights into and out of Israel after the incident, with the ministry describing the presence of the Omani co-pilot as a breach of the airline’s agreement.
But aviation rules generally distinguish between the nationality of a pilot and the nationality or registration of the aircraft and airline.
A News18 explainer had thrown light on how a pilot being a citizen of a particular country does not automatically mean that the aircraft he or she is operating is treated as belonging to that country. For example, a Pakistani national working for a UAE or European airline would not automatically make that airline’s aircraft a Pakistani aircraft.
Countries can, however, impose additional restrictions on who may enter their territory as crew, including through immigration, visa, security-clearance and aviation-security rules.
That distinction is important in the Flydubai case because the question is not simply whether an Omani citizen can fly a foreign-registered aircraft. It is whether Israel’s specific rules for foreign airline crews were followed and who was responsible for checking compliance.
Dozens Of Omani Pilots Had Flown To Israel
The Channel 12 report said dozens of Omani pilots working for Flydubai had operated flights to Israel in recent years. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
The report said Israel had left enforcement of the restriction largely to the foreign airlines themselves, rather than independently checking the nationality and background of every foreign pilot operating into the country.
An unnamed aviation industry official cited by Channel 12 alleged that Israeli authorities could have identified the pilots but chose to rely on the airlines to comply with the restriction.
The Israeli Transportation Ministry, according to the report, said Shin Bet had not issued a specific warning concerning Flydubai, apart from requesting increased baggage checks. The report also noted that the State Comptroller’s Office had recommended in 2024 that the government review aviation-security protocols.
Why This Is Now A Major Question
The question of crew vetting has become particularly significant because of what happened aboard FZ1073.
The aircraft was carrying 174 passengers when the Omani co-pilot attacked Captain Machchhar in the cockpit. The plane then went into a rapid descent. Machchhar, despite being seriously injured, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to intervene.
Passenger accounts said the attacker was eventually restrained using an earphone cord and plastic zip ties. Two additional Flydubai pilots who were travelling as a relief crew then took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The two pilots were reportedly on the aircraft because the original crew would otherwise have exceeded its permitted flying time on the return journey.
The incident therefore raises questions at several levels: How was the co-pilot cleared to operate the route? Who checked his eligibility to enter Israel as flight crew? How much of that screening was conducted by Israel, and how much was left to Flydubai and UAE aviation authorities?
What Happens With Foreign Pilots?
An important distinction in aviation security is that there is no universal rule saying a pilot can fly only to countries that have diplomatic relations with his or her own country.
Airlines operate internationally with multinational crews. The aircraft’s registration, the airline’s operating licence and the destination country’s immigration and security requirements are separate considerations.
Countries can nevertheless impose specific restrictions on foreign crew members. That appears to be the crux of the current Israeli investigation: if Israel’s operating agreement with Flydubai required pilots to come from countries with diplomatic ties to Israel, why was an Omani pilot repeatedly able to operate the route?
The Times of Israel reported that the Center for Aviation Security Operations, established to monitor and oversee the entry of flight crews into Israel, would also come under scrutiny.
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The incident has already prompted Israel to announce tighter security checks for pilots operating flights into the country. An Israeli Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson announced that authorities would increase security checks on pilots flying into Israel, including those working for non-Israeli airlines. The spokesperson said authorities would seek to know the identities of pilots operating flights into Israel and conduct security checks.
The wider aviation-security system also places substantial responsibility on airlines and their national regulators. Reuters reported that experts said pilots undergo extensive background checks and continuing assessments, while airlines and national aviation authorities are responsible for implementing applicable international standards. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said Flydubai’s certification and safety oversight falls under the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority.
That creates another question for investigators: Was the issue an Israeli enforcement failure, an airline-level compliance failure, a UAE regulatory issue, or some combination of these?
The UAE has launched an investigation into whether the incident amounted to terrorism and whether it was pre-planned. Saudi Arabia initially questioned the co-pilot after the emergency landing, while Israeli agencies are also examining the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Omani co-pilot underwent Islamist radicalisation, but the UAE has cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the motive while its investigation continues.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Israeli authorities reportedly relied on foreign airlines like Flydubai to enforce restrictions on pilots from countries lacking diplomatic ties with Israel, rather than independently checking every foreign pilot’s background.
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Apoorva Misra is an Associate Editor at News18.com with a keen interest in politics and current affairs. She loves uncovering fresh angles and telling stories through long-form features and explainers…Read More
October 02, 2026, 08:53 IST
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