An attempted takeover of a FlyDubai flight has renewed questions about aviation-security oversight. Ynet reported that an official involved in security approvals for foreign airlines also provided private services to carriers.
An attempted takeover of a FlyDubai flight has renewed scrutiny of Israel’s system for securing foreign airlines. Against that backdrop, Ynet reported a potential conflict of interest involving Dvir Rubinstein, a founder and current head of the country’s operational centre for aviation security. The centre operates within the Transportation Ministry and is involved in security clearances for foreign airlines and flights.
Rubinstein is not a civil servant and provides services to the ministry as an external contractor, Ynet reported. At the same time, he runs a private company that offers consulting and training to airlines, including FlyDubai and Emirates. The report said Rubinstein had also received payment from FlyDubai. The ministry said his outside work had been properly approved and took place outside his contracted working hours. It had not responded by publication to questions about services to airlines whose security falls within his professional remit.
The report places the issue within a wider dispute over which government bodies should be responsible for foreign-flight security. Professional officials at the ministry had warned, according to Ynet, that the department lacked the tools, resources and intelligence capabilities needed for the task. Israel’s state comptroller warned of gaps in international aviation security in 2024. Ynet said interagency decisions intended to settle responsibilities were not implemented for two years.
The newspaper also reviewed public calendars for Transportation Minister Miri Regev from 2023 to 2025 and found no dedicated meeting on screening foreign flight crews, although she met with the Civil Aviation Authority. Ynet cautioned that the records do not cover 2026 and may omit sensitive consultations. Israeli assessments described the suspected FlyDubai attacker as a lone actor, while U.S. President Donald Trump publicly alleged an Iranian connection. Those remain attributed positions, not established findings.