Air Traffic Controllers at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion are Fearful

An internal document circulating amongst Israeli air traffic controllers is warning of serious safety concerns at major airports and advocating urgent action. It finally found its way to the Director of the Airports Authority and then promptly to the Haaretz news organization on 12th April. Its confidentiality has now been "blown". The controllers are worried about traffic growth at Ben Gurion International Airport. It presently stands at 10 million passenger movements per annum but is projected to rise to 16 million within five years. The anxiety is generated by recent near-misses and the increasing complexity of the ATC task in the region. Unlike most other environments, Israeli ATC handles a large number of unmanned aerial vehicle movements (mostly military but some run by police). A hotch-potch mix of obsolescent and leading-edge technology crowds Israeli towers. Because their ATC is manpower intensive, Ben Gurion Tower in particular is a crowded, noisy place that is very conducive to error. The Airports Authority response has been positive, "The management of the authority is very sensitive to every aspect of improving flight safety and the board of directors has approved the 2007 allocation of a large sum for flight safely enhancements." It also said that a public committee has been appointed to examine the specific underlying flaws in the Israeli air traffic control infrastructure.