Flydubai has asked Israel for permission to resume flights to Ben Gurion Airport just one week after the attempted terror attack aboard one of its Tel Aviv-bound flights, but Transportation Minister Miri Regev has so far refused the request, Channel 13 reported.

According to the report, flydubai informed Israeli officials that its investigation into the September 30 attack is nearing completion and that numerous employees have been fired in its aftermath.

Officials from Israel’s Transportation Ministry have also reportedly been invited to Dubai next week to examine the airline’s operations and security procedures.

For now, however, Regev is refusing to authorize the resumption of flydubai’s Israel service.

The airline suspended its Israel operations following the dramatic attack aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, when Omani copilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked captain Smit Machchhar and allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft with approximately 180 people aboard, the overwhelming majority of them Israelis.

Machchhar and several Israeli passengers managed to thwart the attack and subdue al-Hammami, with the aircraft ultimately making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

The attack has triggered intense scrutiny in Israel over how foreign flight crews are vetted before being permitted to operate flights into Ben Gurion Airport, particularly crewmembers who are citizens of countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

Channel 13 reported that Israeli authorities are now formulating significantly tougher security requirements for foreign airline personnel.

Under the draft regulations, anyone who is not an Israeli citizen — including pilots and other flight crew — would be required to submit a form to Israeli authorities at least 48 hours before the flight.

The information would then be reviewed by government authorities before the individual is permitted to operate a flight into Israel.

Under an additional layer of screening, citizens of countries designated “red” under the proposed system would undergo checks by the Mossad and Shin Bet.

The proposed measures come amid continuing questions over how al-Hammami, an Omani national, was cleared to serve as copilot on a flight bound for Israel in the first place.

(YWN Israel Desk — Jerusalem)