The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) has announced that as of March 31, 2023, it will no longer allow quadjet aircraft to conduct scheduled operations at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion.
The decision is motivated by environmental and noise concerns and pertains to both passenger and cargo aircraft. The ban will be in place for 24 hours every day of the week. The IAA explained that it decided to give the airlines more than six months of notice to prepare them for the change.
Once a sizeable operator of various B747 aircraft, El Al Israel Airlines retired its last B747-400, which was also its only quadjet type, in 2019. Challenge Airlines IL continues to operate one B747-400ERF, and one B747-400FSCD but is planning to move the two aircraft to sister carrier Challenge Airlines BE. There are no other Israeli operators of four-engined aircraft in Israel. However, foreign carriers AirACT (9T, Istanbul Atatürk) and Silk Way West Airlines (7L, Baku Heydar Aliev International) will be affected by the change as both deploy B747 freighters to the Israeli commercial hub.
The ban will not affect other airports in the country. Quadjet operations at Tel Aviv will remain possible in emergency and after prior approval from the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority.
