Transportation Ministry issues new guidelines for foreign airlines flying to Israel
The Transportation Ministry’s Aviation Security Operations Center issued a series of new guidelines to foreign airlines on Thursday, requiring them to verify the citizenship of crew members on every flight to Israel or passing through Israeli airspace. The guidelines took effect immediately.
Responsibility for screening crew members rests with the foreign airline. The Defense Ministry has yet to find a way to verify the identity of crew members on commercial flights and is examining, among other measures, a requirement for crew members expected to arrive in Israel to obtain a 24-hour visa. Such a measure would not be relevant to flights that pass through Israeli airspace without landing in the country.
“The airline shall ensure that all aircrew members designated to operate or assigned to flights entering Israeli airspace have undergone up-to-date background and security checks, in full accordance with the required standards and procedures enforced under the relevant national regulations,” the ministry wrote.
“The airline bears sole responsibility for ensuring that all flight crew members do not hold citizenship or dual citizenship of a country that does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.”
