Jerusalem, Oct 15: Israel has barred pilots and cabin crew from countries that do not maintain official diplomatic relations with it from serving on flights entering its airspace, according to media reports, following an alleged hijacking attempt on a flight travelling from the UAE to Israel last month.
The restrictions were issued by the Transportation Ministry’s Aviation Security Operations Centre following the September 30 incident, in which Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was injured while foiling an alleged attempt to seize control of a flydubai aircraft.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that the ministry had issued updated aviation security directives. According to broadcaster N12, foreign airlines were informed of the restrictions on October 1.
Under the new rules, pilots and cabin crew operating flights into Israeli airspace must not hold the nationality, or dual nationality, of countries that lack official diplomatic relations with Israel.
The restrictions reportedly cover nationals of more than two dozen countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as people holding dual nationality of these countries, the Haaretz newspaper reported.
The move has prompted airlines to review crew assignments to ensure compliance with the new requirements. French investigative website Mediapart reported that Air France had circulated an internal memo informing pilots and cabin crew about the restrictions and warning of possible sanctions for non-compliance.
Aviation blog Live and Let’s Fly reported that United Airlines had also notified affected pilots and flight attendants to contact its scheduling department for necessary adjustments.
The restrictions follow the September 30 incident involving a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft was diverted to Saudi Arabia after its Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Machchhar and attempted to seize control of the plane, reportedly intending to crash it into Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene and subdue the co-pilot before the aircraft was diverted.
Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a review of security procedures for foreign civil aviation, Haaretz reported.
Machchhar has been recovering in a hospital in the UAE. His actions were praised by world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. (With inputs from PTI)
