No More Jumbos: Israel to Ban Four-engine Aircraft

DALLAS - To reduce noise and air pollution, Israel will ban the Boeing 747 and comparable four-engine aircraft as of March 31, 2023, the country's airports authority announced on Sunday.

The authority said it had already informed airlines that they would not be permitted to land huge aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) near Tel Aviv beginning in the summer of 2023 as part of a larger plan being developed to rehabilitate the local environment.

The nation's flag carrier El Al (LY) has already decommissioned its Boeing 747 fleet and now flies long-haul flights with twin-engine Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft. Although some competitors still operate Jumbos for freight, they also fly triple sevens, Dreamliners or similar Airbus models to TLV.

Operation of four-engine aircraft will only be permitted in unusual circumstances and with a specific license. Of course, the Israeli directive mostly applies to cargo aircraft because most, if not all, airlines no longer fly 747s and other four-engine aircraft in Israeli airspace.

Featured image: CAL Cargo Airlines. Photo: Ken Fielding, CC BY-SA 3.0