Transportation Minister Miri Regev on Wednesday has requested that the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) halt all flights by the airline flydubai entering and exiting the country following the suspected attempted hijacking of a commercial passenger aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a source in the ministry confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.
Flydubai’s agreement to operate in Israel explicitly states that all pilots must be from countries that have normalized relations with Israel, which does not include Oman.
“This is a clear breach of the agreement,” the source stated, “and the Shin Bet must look into this.”
The Post has learned that the Mossad, Shin Bet, IDF, and Transport Ministry have opened a joint probe into the incident, focusing on whether there was any indication of an attack prior to the flight, and how an Omani pilot would have been permitted to fly the aircraft.
Following her announcement, Regev also directed the Israel Airports Authority to open a waiting and information area for the families of everyone on the diverted flydubai flight located in Terminal 1’s arrivals hall.
“Family members who wish to come to Ben-Gurion Airport are invited to go to the designated area in Terminal 1, where they will be able to wait and receive information and updates as developments unfold. Representatives of the Israel Airports Authority will be on site and will assist the families as needed,” the IAI stated.
Later on Wednesday, the IAF released a statement noting its continuous preparation to “confront a range of aerial threats and prevent incursions into Israeli airspace.”
“The defense of Israel’s skies is based on maintaining a continuous aerial situational picture, keeping forces on alert, and maintaining the ability to scramble and deploy aircraft at short notice,” the Air Force said, noting that “various scenarios are routinely drilled in order to enable early detection, rapid response, and real-time decision-making.”
One such scenario includes preparation for “unusual incidents involving civilian aircraft en route to Israel, including preventing the possibility of an airborne terrorist attack,” the statement read, which includes any flight that “deviates from its planned flight path, fails to respond to radio calls, transmits a distress signal, experiences a technical malfunction, or when a medical emergency involving a passenger requires an emergency landing.”
The IAF added that, in such an incident, “Israeli airspace may be closed and fighter jets scrambled to identify and escort the civilian aircraft.”
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.