In a new announcement made last week, the Israel Airports Authority said it will aim to reduce noise and air pollution at Ben Gurion Airport by banning four-engine civilian aircraft, including Boeing 747s and other jumbo jets, starting next year.
The announcement noted that exceptions to the policy will be allowed, for instance, the arrival of a US president to Israel in an Air Force One designated plane – currently a four-engine Boeing 747-200 aircraft.
Source: Times of Israel (Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)
The IAA said it had begun informing carriers of the reform, which is set to go into effect in late March 2023, to allow them to prepare. This being said, the move will be unlikely to affect major airliners flying to Israel’s primary international airport, with most of them already having phased out four-engine jumbo jets in favor of two-engine planes.
IAA CEO Hagai Topolansky said the ban was “the first step in a broader plan that is currently under development,” as Israel aims to modernize its airports while also meeting upped demand and environmental challenges.
“I’ve instructed the relevant entities in the authority to start carrying out actions meant to reduce the extent of noise at the airport in order to reduce environmental threats and ease the situation for surrounding towns affected by the activity at Ben Gurion Airport,” said , a retired Israel Defense Forces general who moved into the role in June.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
