Israelis could lose their visa-free access to the United States after security lapses reportedly came to light following the thwarted attack on a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight.
Machchhar, along with several Israeli passengers, managed to stop the attack and overpower al-Hammami. The Transportation Ministry and Israel’s security establishment have faced criticism over their handling of foreign airline crews following the incident. The scrutiny follows the September 30 incident involving flydubai Flight 1073, in which copilot Hamam al-Hammami allegedly attacked captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to crash the aircraft. Around 180 people were on board, most of them Israelis. Nearly a week after the incident, Channel 13 reported on Tuesday that flydubai had sought permission to restart flights to Israel. Hebrew media reports on Tuesday, citing leaked comments from a closed-door meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said about 1,240 aircrew members from hostile countries had entered Israel over the past year.
The airline reportedly said its investigation was nearing completion and that several employees had been dismissed.
