Frequent Flyer Blog: TLV to JFK (or EWR, SFO, SJC, LAX)

Readers may be concerned about todays reports that the FAA plans to downgrade Ben Gurion Airport’s safety ranking to level two (the official term is air safety oversight category).

According to the FAA – a category 2 rating means:

A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority – equivalent to the FAA – is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.

And:

Expansion or changes in services to the United States by such carriers are not permitted while in category 2.

First of all, there is no mention of this in any FAA or official site and nothing in the international press. Here is their press release for when they downgraded Indonesia. And here is the updated file not showing Israel. In fact, looking at the list the only countries flying into the US that are category 2 are:

Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Nauru, Philippines, Serbia and Ukraine.

Second of all, the aviation forums are think this is nonsense. Comments such as Even SQ (Singapore) would be banned … OR how are any of these small incidents any different than what every other airline experiences… etc.

So, unless this is really true (and we will find out definitively in a few days), someone is using this for some serious political spin and scaring millions of flyers and dozens of airlines in the process. That somebody just might be Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Transportation. Last year the Lapidot Committee released a report (news article) outlining safety problems at Ben Gurion (there are real ones). The report was delivered to Shaul Mofaz in Aug of 2007, who accepted all the findings and said he would implement by early 2008. I will leave it to my readers to try to guess who is willing to kill a few airlines and terrify millions of people for some personal gain.

Of course, if this report does turn out true, I apologize. And then we should be scared.

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