El Al attack: Will it soon be dangerous for Israelis to board a plane?

Avner Yarkoni, who served as a fighter pilot in the past and as head of the Civil Aviation Authority, spoke to Maariv following the announcement by El Al about the attempt to take over the communication network of one of its planes while flying over Somalia on its way from Phuket in Thailand to Ben-Gurion Airport Saturday night.

Is there a tangible danger to the planes, given the current war situation? 

"It was a communication interference by someone who was in contact with the plane. I don't know exactly what was said and how," but the controller's "manner of speaking apparently raised suspicion among the pilots," he said.

"It should be remembered that from the plane's communication, it does not go anywhere. That is, the communication system guides the pilots, but if there is doubt – they don't comply," Yarkoni said.

"There are other systems where one can verify and check the communication readiness, some of them digital [ones] that are not based on verbal communication at all and are relied upon in international flights," he explained.

"In addition, there is also a regional broadcast network that provides instructions, and the most important thing is that communication disruptions there are not new – not only toward El Al planes but towards all sorts of planes."

What turns this area of Somalia, known for conflict, into a hub specifically for disturbances in aviation matters?

"Sometimes it's about war, sometimes it's to create problems. We need to remember that this happens," Yarkoni said. "Even at Ben-Gurion Airport, there were broadcasts on the communication network – it happens, though not at the level of trying to veer a plane right or left – but right after takeoff or landing, it's more complicated than flying at altitude."

Are there risks, then?

"The bottom line is this is a problem, but there's nothing to get too excited about. Planes don't fall from this thing. If the Iranians want to shoot down an Israeli airliner, they don't need someone to come up to the communications and tell the pilot to turn right or left."

So what's the issue?

"The issue is that it's possible to direct a plane to fly to unreasonable places in terms of altitude or route, which could lead to the risk of colliding with other planes. This could cause fuel waste or time, but let's say it like this - with alert pilots, nothing will happen, and it's important to keep things in proportion."

And yet, sometimes in TV programs or movies, they show remote takeovers of planes and engine shutdowns. Is that just in the realm of the imagination of daring creators?

"We're not there, it's not simple at all. It's possible but not easy. There are defense systems for planes, and it's not easy to take control of them, and alert pilots won't let it happen. I suppose pilots in these areas are quite sharp."

Another scenario was the disappearance of planes like that of Malaysia Airlines, could such a scenario come true?

"Very few planes disappear, except for this plane I know the rest have crashed or fallen and we know where they are. They are not hiding planes, in a very bad case, they shoot them down."

But those are things from the field of missile technology, not technology?

"Yes, that's very true, it has happened several times in the past, but it is important to say that shooting down planes at that altitude, these are not terrorist missiles, these are missiles that countries know how to produce. Terrorists cannot shoot down planes at that height."

So, the terrifying scenario of remotely hijacking an Israeli passenger plane is not realistic?

"We are not there. There is awareness and a communication sector that is advancing towards a system based on fewer words. To say that the best hacker in the world or a country deciding to enter will not succeed? No computer security will provide complete protection, but we are not there, and we must remember that ultimately, pilots know how to manually take control of a plane, and it is not flying alone."