Israel Airports Authority Schedules Two Drills at Ben Gurion and Jordan River Terminals
The Israel Airports Authority announced two pre-planned exercises in the coming days. An annual aviation emergency drill will run at Ben Gurion Airport on Nov. 2 from 18:00 to 22:00, while a drill at the Jordan River terminal on Nov. 3 will bring temporary border and cargo changes.
The Israel Airports Authority said it will hold two pre-planned drills in the coming days, as aviation security and safety concerns have increased the need to tighten controls for arrivals to Israel.
The authority announced that the exercises will include security force movements and temporary changes to airport operations, while stressing that the drills are routine and will not disrupt the flight schedule.
Ben Gurion Airport emergency drill on Nov. 2
On Monday, Nov. 2, an annual aviation emergency drill will take place at Ben Gurion Airport between 18:00 and 22:00.
During those hours, the Ben Gurion Airport area is expected to see active movement of emergency, security, rescue and fire vehicles.
The Israel Airports Authority said the exercise is not a real incident and that the airport will continue operating as scheduled.
Jordan River terminal drill on Nov. 3
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the authority will conduct another planned exercise at the Jordan River terminal.
The drill will lead to temporary changes in crossing arrangements:
-
The passenger and vehicle terminal will be completely closed from the morning hours and reopened after the drill ends at 13:00.
-
Until 18:00, passenger processing for the last arrivals will be allowed only until 16:30.
-
The cargo terminal will remain closed throughout the day on Tuesday.
The authority thanked the traveling public for understanding and for preparing accordingly.
Background: tighter real-time passenger data reporting
Last week, the National Center for Passenger Data Assessment (Mala"n), operating under the Israel Tax Authority, published a comprehensive policy update requiring strict real-time reporting for all flights, passengers and crew departing to or leaving Israel.
The update, version 1.2, formalizes Mala"n’s powers as a government “single window” for receiving, processing and analyzing booking and flight data, including PNR, DCS, APIS and iAPI, under the law governing the authority to collect and assess passenger data.
According to the policy, data provided by airlines will be cross-checked and transferred to the Population and Immigration Authority, which is the authorized and exclusive body to decide whether to approve or deny boarding for a passenger or crew member.
The update also ends direct communication channels that had previously existed between airlines and the Population and Immigration Authority, requiring airlines to connect exclusively and securely through SITA Gateway servers.
Airlines will be required to complete an official contracting and authorization process, including adapting reservation and check-in systems, conducting encrypted communications checks (VPN/private network) and receiving an operational go-live approval (Cutover).
Airlines that do not have integrated ticketing systems will be required to enter the data manually via designated portals.
