Foiled Hijacking on Flydubai Prompts 41% of Israelis to Rethink Foreign Airlines

According to Israel Hayom, a weekly survey conducted after a foiled hijacking attempt on a Flydubai flight found that 41% of Israeli respondents said they would reduce or entirely stop using foreign airlines, preferring carriers that are Israeli - sometimes referred to colloquially as "blue and white" flights. The incident has reignited a longstanding question about whether Israeli travelers are safer on Israeli carriers, which operate under the security protocols of the Israel Airports Authority and are subject to Israeli intelligence oversight, compared with foreign airlines whose security procedures vary by country and operator. Those who favor switching to Israeli carriers argue that El Al and other Israeli airlines maintain among the most rigorous passenger screening and in-flight security measures in the world, making them a meaningfully safer choice - especially in a period of heightened regional tension. Those who see no need to change their habits point out that a single incident on one airline is not evidence of a systemic gap, and that limiting oneself to Israeli carriers reduces travel options and may increase costs significantly. Israel Hayom reports a striking political divide in the responses: coalition voters said they would avoid foreign airlines at a rate of 53%, compared with 35% of opposition voters, while 42% of opposition voters said they would continue flying with foreign carriers as usual, against only 16% of coalition voters. Whether that gap reflects genuinely different assessments of security risk, or differing levels of national solidarity and patriotic sentiment, is itself part of what this poll is trying to surface.