Pilot of El Al 767 accused of breach of safety procedure – Israel ALPA demands ‘Justice Culture’

An incident last November has been just been revealed when the pilot of an El Al B767 descended below the permitted altitude while circling prior to landing at Ben Gurion airport.

The management at El Al sought to impose disciplinary action against the pilot over the incident but the El Al pilots union, supported by the Israel Airline Pilots Association objected strongly demanding that ‘Justice Culture’ be recognized.

The management and the union agreed to a compromise whereby the pilot would only be permitted to work as a co-pilot rather than as a captain until he completes further training and re-qualifies as a captain.

Captain Boaz Hativa, chairman of the Israel ALPA, said that the association and the El Al pilots union became involved “to ensure that the matter was handled in a businesslike, professional manner, in accordance with IFALPA policy, the Israeli law and with international aviation conventions to which Israel is a party (ICAO Annex 13).”