After Flydubai incident: Should Israelis prefer flying blue-and-white?

The unusual incident on the Flydubai flight, which carried approximately 180 passengers including more than 100 Israelis, has reignited a question concerning many Israelis: What safety implications come with choosing to fly with a foreign carrier.

The unusual event quickly sparked a wave of concern among Israelis on social media. Alongside questions about what exactly occurred in the cockpit, many began to wonder whether choosing to fly with a foreign airline - especially on routes where Israeli carriers do not operate - involves a different level of risk.

'An insane price hike at El Al from now on'

Reactions from Israelis online reflected the anxiety. "Only El Al direct, the incident from this morning changed the picture," wrote one user. Another addressed potential financial consequences: "An insane price hike at El Al from now on."

"I've always been El Al only; whoever wants to save money should account for the risks involved," others wrote, questioning whether the incident would lead Israelis to prefer flights on Israeli airlines, even at higher prices. "The case this morning gives El Al and all Israeli companies the legitimacy to double prices; they'll take advantage of the country now," another user wrote. Others even stated their intention to cancel pre-booked flights: "We booked for August and will cancel; I hope they let us do it without a fee."

'The security aspect in Israeli companies is handled differently'

Hagay Meyer, chairman of the Pilots Association, emphasizes that at this stage it is too early to determine what exactly happened in the cockpit, and that the findings of the investigation must be awaited. However, according to him, there are differences in how airlines address security issues, and a passenger's decision to fly with a foreign carrier is a choice they must make while aware of these differences.

"I want to note to the credit of Israeli companies that we know their security rules; they are strict, and there we are more at ease," he says. "But people, by their own decision, also choose to fly with other companies." He refers to many passengers choosing to fly with airlines like Emirates and Etihad due to significant price gaps between them and Israeli airlines: "True, that's completely fine. But if the price point also comes with - I don't want to say risk levels, but different levels of service, with security being only one part of it - then everyone makes their own decision."

According to him, this does not mean every flight on a foreign carrier is dangerous. "I do not question the decision of any citizen to fly with a foreign company," he says. "I am only pointing out that the security aspect in Israeli companies is handled differently."

'They take a certain responsibility upon themselves'

The differences highlighted by the Pilots Association chairman take on particular significance regarding destinations where Israeli airlines do not operate due to security considerations.

"There are even more extreme situations where, for example - I want to mention Dubai and Abu Dhabi - Israeli companies are prevented from flying there due to security reasons, but Israelis choose to fly there with other carriers," he says.

When asked whether this means an Israeli passenger who chooses such an airline takes on a certain risk, he replies: "I won't say risk, but they take a certain responsibility upon themselves." According to him, "Anyone who takes responsibility upon themselves, whether for themselves alone or for themselves and their family, knows what stands behind that responsibility."

However, he stresses that the current incident does not allow conclusions to be drawn at this stage regarding the safety level of Flydubai or foreign carriers in general. "What happened there in the cockpit? Right now we don't know for certain. We will wait for further details."

"If there was some kind of fight there, the situation is much more problematic for the airline," he says. According to him, if it turns out that this is indeed what happened, the investigation will need to examine, among other things, the pilots' background, their hiring process, and the checks they underwent before they began flying passengers.

'We never know what we prevent'

According to him, airlines perform screening and psychological evaluations for pilots, as well as training and refresher courses on CRM topics, which deal among other things with flight crew relations and teamwork. "All companies, based on unfortunate events that happened in the past, conduct strict screening and psychological evaluations for their pilots," he says. "We never know what we prevent; that's how it is in safety."

He emphasizes that precisely because such events are extremely rare, one should not infer from them that every passenger flying on a foreign carrier is in danger. However, according to him, any unusual incident requires an in-depth investigation to check if there were early signs or failures in the recruitment and training process. "Who are these people? What is their background? Where did they come from? And after the airline understands where they came from, they will now ask who hired them and what checks they underwent before entering the job," he says. "It's a deep investigation."

Ultimately, he asks to wait for the investigation's findings before drawing conclusions about the incident or the airline. "I am glad the systems are working properly and are vigilant, whether for a minor case or a severe one, and that the plane landed safely and the passengers are safe."