BeCA Briefing Flights to Tel Aviv & Israël area

Situation Update June 13  

Dear members, dear colleagues,

Since 7 October 2023, several airlines employing Belgium-based aircrews have continued to operate to Tel Aviv Airport or to nearby destinations. 

BeCA, the professional association of airline pilots based in Belgium, understands the airlines’ economic need to continue the flights, but we insist on the following aspects:

• Even though EASA withdrew the Conflict Zone Information Bulletin CZIB 2023-03 R3 on 30 April, it is now up to airlines  “to maintain a robust risk assessment together with a high level of contingency planning for their operations, and airlines have to be ready for short notice instructions from the State authorities”.
• According to BeCA’s legal analysis, this “robust risk assessment” must be shared with the recently renewed company’s Health & Safety Committee of staff representatives (CPPT/CPBW). This approach would prove open communication within the airline. 
• The PIC/crew are legitimately entitled to have access to this risk assessment before commencing the flight so that they can make decisions with full knowledge of the facts on the specific day. The ultimate responsibility for the safe conduct of a flight always remains within the responsibility of the PIC
• Most flights to and from TLV experience GPS  jamming/spoofing when approaching the region. Examples are severe position shifts, false EGPWS warnings, XPDR faults due to ADSB failure, etc. While flight crews professionally cope with these hazards, they complicate navigation (reduced precision or redundancy), increase workload in already busy airspace, and eliminate options (i.e. RNP approaches, alternates, …). Crews must be made aware of alternate navigation procedures per aircraft type in the event of Spoofing/Jamming.
• Some insurers do not cover this type of operation. While some employers seem to be willing to self-insure and compensate any amount not covered by the insurance premium,  crews are entitled to detailed and individualised clarification regarding the exact amounts and payment conditions in case of death, temporary or permanent injury or disability.  Also third-party liability remains unclear as individual duty-of-care rules are different from the Operator’s rules. The grey areas mentioned above should be clarified before volunteering for these operations.
• Unexpected strikes against Israel, such as those on 7 October and 13 April, are still possible. The situation has not fully stabilised, and risk assessments are never 100% guaranteed. It is expected that some crew members do not feel confident about flying to Israel. For BeCA, flights to Tel Aviv must be continued on a voluntary basis, and our association will defend any  member who does not feel ‘fit to fly’.
• If an abnormal situation occurs during operations, it is paramount to report it via official channels so that a proper follow-up can ensue.
• The very recent ruling of a Canadian judge over the shoot down on 8 Jan 2020 of UIA Flight PS752, shows how precarious the flights into/over Conflict Zones like TLV / AMM could potentially develop into due to a multitude of factors/elements/risk assessments. Pilots have no/very limited access to making the PICs ‘safety’ call extremely difficult, hence the need to exert extreme caution as the conflict between Hamas and IDF is still ongoing in Israel directly affecting all Israeli & vicinity airspaces.

The BeCA Committee