International
oi-Gaurav Sharma
The United Arab Emirates has reportedly disclosed details of passengers and crew on board a Flydubai flight to Israeli authorities following an alleged attempt by a pilot to hijack the plane, regional officials said.
The information reportedly revealed the nationalities of individuals travelling on the Israel-bound flight. Although Israeli authorities were provided the information, they did not find any passenger or crew member to be a security concern, officials said.
Following an alleged hijacking attempt by a co-pilot banned for extremist views, the UAE shared Flydubai flight passenger/crew data with Israel, prompting investigations into security screening protocols and inter-agency responsibility.
The new information has triggered renewed questions about how the alleged hijacker managed to board the flight and be involved in the operation despite concerns about his extremist views.
The co-pilot, an Omani national, had reportedly been banned from flying in Oman due to concerns over his extremist views. He was part of the crew operating a Flydubai service carrying Israeli passengers to Tel Aviv.
The UAE’s disclosure of the passenger and crew information to Israel has therefore become a key component of the investigation. Authorities are looking into whether the information provided was sufficient for Israeli security agencies to conduct effective checks and whether any warning signs were missed prior to the aircraft’s departure.
The incident has also raised questions about responsibility for screening foreign flights. Israel’s Shin Bet stated the Transportation Ministry is responsible for vetting passenger information received from international flights. Transportation Minister Miri Regev, however, said her ministry had not received a passenger list or any warning and argued that flight security falls under the responsibility of security agencies.
Attention is also being drawn to Flydubai and the UAE’s own aviation security procedures. Investigators are expected to probe into how the airline cleared the Omani pilot for duty and whether information regarding his previous flying restrictions was accessible to the relevant authorities.
The case has intensified scrutiny of information sharing and security coordination between the UAE, Israel and airlines operating between the two countries.
