File photo: A flydubai plane parked on the tarmac
Carriers must provide crew information at least 48 hours before departure, submit any subsequent updates no later than two hours before takeoff and issue a final list at takeoff, according to The Times of Israel. Israel’s Channel 13 reported that non-Israeli pilots, cabin crew and passengers travelling to or from the country will also be required to complete an online form 48 hours before entry. Airlines had been submitting crew lists shortly before departure, in some cases as late as 15 minutes after takeoff, leaving authorities little time to identify potential risks, according to Channel 13. The ministry had reportedly warned that it lacked the resources and operational capacity to carry out the duties, while an earlier warning in March 2025 flagged failures to comply with a cabinet directive on aviation security.
The measures were ordered by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu following a security review and are intended to give authorities sufficient time to conduct background checks, Bloomberg reported.
The forms will be reviewed by the Population Authority, while people arriving from countries designated as “red” will face additional scrutiny of entry forms and visa applications by the Mossad and Shin Bet, the report said. reports said it had not taken the necessary steps to establish that access Although the transportation ministry was authorised to access the National Center for Passenger Data Analysis’s database for aviation security purposes. The new directives, issued Thursday by Israel’s National Center for Passenger Data Analysis, apply to all incoming and outgoing flights operated by Israeli and foreign airlines. Machchhar and fellow flydubai crew members were recently honoured by the UAE with the First Class Order of Zayed II for their actions during the incident. The award was conferred by UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with the medals presented by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The changes follow reports of longstanding shortcomings in Israel’s oversight of foreign aviation security. A separate report cited an internal National Security Council document indicating that the Transportation Ministry had failed to fulfil responsibilities assigned to it for foreign airline security. The controversy also centred on access to passenger and crew data.