Most Arkia, Israir flights use planes and crews leased from foreign airlines, not subject to all Israel’s security protocols; PM okayed arrangement

Most flights ostensibly operated by Israel’s Arkia and Israir airlines actually use aircraft leased, along with their crews, from foreign airlines, and their operations are not subject to all of the stringent Israeli security requirements and protections, according to a report by Channel 12.

The security procedures for such flights were approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israir tells the outlet.

The arrangement is known as “wet leasing” and involves an airline renting an aircraft from another carrier, along with its crew, maintenance services, and insurance.

The report comes as a stream of gaping flaws have emerged in Israel’s security arrangements for foreign airlines since Wednesday’s attempted terror attack on a flydubai airliner from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Omani copilot tried to crash the plane, almost all of whose passengers were Israelis, but was thwarted by the captain and several passengers.

In July, 70 percent of Arkia’s flights and 56% of Israir flights were wet-leased, the report says. For Sun D’Or, the figure was 5%.

On these flights, the report says, there are no Israeli security personnel on the plane itself. On such flights originating overseas, it adds, there is also no additional security check, and no additional passenger checks and passenger profiling, as required for all genuinely Israeli flights in and out of Israel.

Arkia’s CEO confirms that the Shin Bet does not provide a security envelope for wet-leased flights originating abroad. Those flights are instead secured by the authorities at the overseas airport.

“Israeli planes receive a ‘security envelope’ provided by the Shin Bet, according to a decision by the State of Israel,” says Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz. “For wet-leased flights [originating abroad], we do not get the Shin Bet security envelope. Instead, we use the security envelope at the overseas airport.”

In a statement, Israir said it operates aircraft on the “wet lease” arrangement in full accordance with all Israeli regulations and security requirements. Operating planes in this way “is part of a risk management policy in the aviation sector, which was presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved by him,” it adds.

Arkia said wet-leasing is a widely accepted model in the aviation world and is operated by the firm under stringent requirements and in coordination with the authorized bodies in Israel.