Israel acts to avoid US FAA safety classification downgrade

[Panama Jack]

I imagine that this is quite humiliating to Israeli authorities. It would be interesting to know in which areas Isreal's CAA was found to be deficient.

DATE:27/11/08
SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence

Israel acts to avoid US FAA safety classification downgrade
By Simon Warburton

Israel's Government is preparing to implement a set of recommendations from the US FAA in a bid to avert a risk of the country's being reclassified as non-compliant with ICAO standards.

The FAA's International Aviation Safety Assessment scheme classifies states as Category 1 if their safety oversight is considered compliant with ICAO, and Category 2 otherwise.

US FAA officials have been in recent consultation with the Israeli Government, a spokesman for the FAA confirms: "Certainly within the last two or three weeks we've had people there."

While the US authority has not disclosed details of its involvement, a statement from the Israeli transport ministry in Jerusalem indicates that Israel's Category 1 status is under threat, and that the FAA has issued a report detailing a set of safety recommendations.

"The report's recommendations are being studied in depth and any other shortcomings dealt with, so that the state of Israel will retain Category 1 rating in the International Aviation Safety Assessment," says the ministry.

"All the issues raised in the report have already been incorporated into the [Israeli civil aviation authority's] work plan and are currently being put into practice."

Any downgrade to Category 2 would prevent Israeli carriers from starting new services to the USA, but would also represent a significant political blow to the Middle Eastern state.

Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and US president George Bush met in Washington earlier this week, although it is not clear if the safety issue was discussed.

Category 2 status means that the FAA regards a country as providing inadequate oversight of air carriers, or deficient in areas such as inspection, technical expertise or trained personnel.

Ukraine, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Ghana are among the countries currently classified as Category 2.

The FAA spokesman says that, should Israel's status be reclassified, it will make a public announcement.

Conceding a "decades-long" hiatus, the Israeli transport ministry says it is addressing the replacement of senior officials at the CAA. "We are currently in the midst of recruiting high-quality manpower to increase the standard of control," it notes.

[B747-800]

:D:D:Di guess if the FAA really downgrades israel to cat. 2 this really will give some credibility to the FAA international program. people who claim that the FAA is acting only in the interest of US aircraft manufacturer will be shown otherwise. let's wait and see:D:D:D

Israeli pilots pessimistic over possible FAA reclassification

Sources in the Israeli airline pilot community are claiming that over 100 individual shortcomings in the country's civil aviation administration have yet to be addressed, as the country's oversight comes under US scrutiny.
Israel is facing the possibility of being reclassified as a 'Category 2' - or non-ICAO compliant - state by the US FAA, and a source close to the Israeli Air Line Pilots Association understands that a formal announcement on the matter is due within days.
Assessment by the FAA has prompted the Israeli CAA into driving forward a raft of initiatives, including the replacement of senior officials, in a bid to retain its 'Category 1' status, which signals compliance with ICAO standards.
"ICAO had an audit to inspect the Civil Aviation Authority in January 2007," says the senior Israeli pilot source. "It reported 102 deficiencies up to date most of them have not been dealt with.
"It looks like the FAA will downgrade but I know that the ministry of transport is working very hard to convince them that they should not do so."
A committee headed by former Israeli air force commander Amos Lapidot was set up to look at Israel's civil aviation situation with sources in the country noting: "It seems that the ministry of transport accepted the conclusions of this committee and is looking to take care of the issues."
Part of the FAA's ire appears to centre on insufficient staff at the CAA. Despite a recent recruitment drive, concerns have been raised that there are still not enough personnel. Cockpit crew criticism is being levelled at the CAA's capacity to perform checks on foreign carriers flying into Israel.
"This area is very neglected," claims the pilot source. "Very few ramp checks are done as far as I know."
The Israel Air Line Pilots Association chairman, Capt Boaz Hativa, says the organisation has been warning authorities about the situation for several years, adding: "[FAA downgrade] would hurt the airlines, travelling public, companies that manufacture aircraft and course, pilots and other employees."
Neither the Israeli CAA or ministry of transport could be reached to respond to the pilots' views, although the latter has said it is in the process of addressing manpower issues.


Source: Air Transport Intelligence news

[Panama Jack]

Sounds like this problem didn't just crop up yesterday. Shock treatment is sometimes very healthy.

Anybody know when the last FAA audit was done in Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and when the next one is scheduled?

[Rotorhead1026]

Part of the FAA's ire appears to centre on insufficient staff at the CAA.

They're short-staffed because everybody is working ramp and terminal security. THAT'S pretty effective over there. Has to be.

Okay, a little facetious, but only a little ... ;)