Last update - 00:00 12/12/2007
IATA: B-G Airport safety standards cause for worry
By Zohar Blumenkrantz, Haaretz Correspondent
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is set to launch an investigation into air safety at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion International Airport according to a classified letter leaked to Haaretz on Wednesday.
The IATA letter, directed at foreign airlines operating in Israeli airspace, notes the organization's concern at safety standards in the country and announces plans to launch a thorough investigation into operating procedures at Ben-Gurion.
Airlines who operate in Israeli airspace and whose crafts land at Ben-Gurion will be requested to provide the body with full information on all safety incidents they have experienced in Israeli skies overall, and in particular at the Ben-Gurion facility.
According to the letter, the IATA is currently investigating various safety shortcomings and problems which recently came to light after a series of near-miss incidents in Israeli airspace. A special delegation is slated to carry out an inquiry into air safety procedures in conjunction with Israel's aviation authorities.
The IATA letter to the foreign airlines comes during a visit by a delegation of the United States Federal Aviation Authority to Israel. The delegation is visiting with the aim of advising Israel on ways to improve its air safety standards.
Haaretz was also informed that the U.S. delegates met Wednesday with representatives of foreign airlines who operate in Israeli airspace in the hope of formulating a new plan to cope with mass air disasters in light of recent near accidents.\
Concurrently, a special committee headed by former Israel Air Forces Commander (Res.) Amos Lapidot was working toward releasing a report by the end of the month on overcrowding of Israel's incoming and outbound flight paths. The report aims to separate flight paths used by military air craft from those flown by civilian planes.
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