Israel's aviationsafety is appalling, said Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz and major-general (Ret) Amos Lapidot, who heads the public committee appointed to investigate aviation safety in Israel.
"We are in a state of emergency," said Mofaz at a press conference held Wednesday, after Lapidot turned in his committee's initial report into the near-accident between an El-Al plane and an Iberia Airlines one, last February.
"Aviation safety in Israel is in dire straits… every aspect investigated showed signs of collapsing. The Civil Aviation Authority must be rehabilitated," said Mofaz.
Israel, added Mofaz, is far from being up to international code as far as legislation, technology and infrastructure are concerned.
"The recent events in Ben Gurion International Airport demanded we form an emergency investigation committee," he added, saying he intended on presenting Lapidot's report to the government in its next meeting.
Gradual deterioration
Amos Lapidot, former Israeli Air Force Commander, said the committee found the biggest problems in aviation safety belonged to the Civil Aviation Authority.
"The findings show things have been gradually deteriorating for years… of course, the paradox is that Israel's Civil Aviation Authority is mostly made up of air force veterans – Israel has the best air force in the world – but our civil authority is all screwed up," he said.
"Ben Gurion International Airport is Israel only international airway, yet it suffers from problems which do not exist in any other county.
"Planes land and take off in opposite directions, separated only by altitude, which leaves little to no room for error. The slightest miscalculation on behalf of air traffic control or on the pilots' side could have disastrous results.
"Over the last few years there have been dramatic advances made in aviation technology, but we're in a coma. We buy state-of-the-art planes which have machinery useless to us because of the technology on the ground," said Lapidot.
The report also addressed Israel's limited commercial airspace – a result of sharing the sky with the IAF. "The distribution of airspace between the IAF and the civil authority must be updated and it can be, without harming either side's interests," said Mofaz.
The report further recommended increasing the crack-done on pirate radio stations, due to the massive interference their broadcasts have on Ben Gurion's air traffic control tower communication.
When it comes to pirate radio jamming the tower, said the report, time is not on our side. Israel, added Lapidot, has not updated its aviation laws since 1927.
Gideon Siterman, director-general of the Ministry of Transportation said the ministry plans on taking action immediately: "We intend to raise $12 million for the implementation of the report, double the staff at the Civil Aviation Authority and form a team to take care of every one of the 102 deficiencies found by the International Civil Aviation Organization.