Israel’s Transportation Ministry has announced that foreign airlines not using the smart card-based Code Positive system will not be allowed to land, says haaretz.com.
Under the Code Positive system, developed by Elbit, pilots are issued smart cards with unique codes that send confirmation of the pilot’s identity to the Beit Dagan control center outside of Tel Aviv.
The idea is to detect if the plane has been hijacked prior to its arrival in Ben-Gurion International Airport. The use of multiple codes on the card ensures that even if hijackers gain possession of it, they will not be able to know for sure how to use it without giving themselves away.
Continental Airlines, Air Canada, Delta Airlines, US Airways and Ethiopian Airlines began using Code Positive in March; however, some pilots and airlines are reluctant to implement the system for fear of being shot down by accident, says Haaretz.
Pilots have also complained that the identification process takes to long and distracts both from their tasks in the cock pit and from listening to the to the international distress frequency
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