Aviation Law, 5771-2011
חוק הטיס, תשע"א-2011
Published: 2011-04-13Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-08-02 · Last amended 2026-07-28✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-29
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More
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Section D: Conditions for the Operation of Aircraft
Duty to Man Aircraft with Suitable Crew Members§
70.
No person shall operate an aircraft unless the aircraft is manned by crew members in a number not less than the number prescribed by the Minister and in functions as prescribed by the Minister.
Duty to Carry Documents§
71.
(a)No person shall operate an aircraft unless all of the following documents are present on board the aircraft:
(1)a valid registration certificate in respect of the aircraft, to the extent that a duty of registration applies pursuant to this Law;
(2)a valid noise certificate in respect of the aircraft, to the extent that the provisions of section 64 apply to it;
(3)a valid certificate of airworthiness in respect of the aircraft;
(4)if the aircraft is carrying passengers – a list of the names of the passengers, their flight destination and the place of their embarkation onto the aircraft;
(5)a valid licence for a wireless telegraph station issued pursuant to the Wireless Telegraph Ordinance [New Version], 5732-1972;
(6)any other document prescribed by the Minister.
(b)A flight crew member shall not serve as a crew member, and an aerial operator shall not permit a flight crew member to serve as a crew member, unless the flight crew member carries with them a suitable and valid flight crew member licence, and if they are a flight crew member of a type prescribed by the Minister pursuant to section 6(a) – also a suitable and valid medical certificate.
(c)The Minister may prescribe categories of aircraft or categories of operations in respect of which the duty to carry the documents referred to in subsections (a) and (b), whether all or some of them, shall not apply, subject to conditions as prescribed.
Flight Rules and Air Traffic Management§
72.
(a)No person shall operate an aircraft in a manner liable to endanger human life or property, including by operating it in contravention of the flight rules prescribed by the Minister pursuant to subsection (c).
(b)No person shall parachute from an aircraft, drop any object from it, spray any substance from it, tow anything by means of it, or permit any such act, except in accordance with flight rules prescribed by the Minister pursuant to subsection (c).
(c)For the purpose of maintaining the safety of the operation of aircraft and the protection of human life and property, the Minister may prescribe by Regulations flight rules and air traffic management rules with respect to matters set out in Annex 2 to the Convention and with respect to the following matters:
(1)provisions with respect to the operation of aircraft in flight and air traffic management, including with respect to flight altitudes and cruising, separation between aircraft, collision avoidance, signals and signs, time measurement, take-off, approach to landing and landing, interception, meteorological conditions for flight, reports that a pilot shall receive and transmit, radio communication procedures, aircraft speed, formation flight, aerobatic flight, competitive flight and test flight;
(2)provisions with respect to flight in the aviation control airspace of Israel, including the duty to submit a flight plan, obtaining an Air Traffic Control Clearance, maintaining radio contact with the relevant ATC unit, visual flight rules and instrument flight rules;
(3)provisions with respect to ground movement of aircraft;
(4)provisions the purpose of which is the protection and identification of aircraft.
(d)Regulations pursuant to this section with respect to interception or with respect to the protection and identification of aircraft, as well as Regulations pursuant to this section that may affect the use of the aviation control airspace of Israel allocated to military aviation pursuant to section 80, shall be made with the consent of the Minister of Defence; Regulations pursuant to this section with respect to any other matter shall be made in consultation with the Minister of Defence.
Noise Standards for Aircraft§
73.
(a)An aerial operator shall not operate an aircraft in the territory of Israel in a manner that causes noise exceeding a noise level or noise quota prescribed by the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Environmental Protection and with the approval of the Committee, unless weather conditions, flight safety or an instruction of an ATC unit issued pursuant to section 82(g) so require; a noise level or noise quota as aforesaid shall be determined having regard to the noise ratings prescribed pursuant to section 66, to the provisions of any plan pursuant to the Planning and Building Law, 5725-1965, that is relevant to the matter, and to the air traffic provisions concerning aerial approach to and departure from an aerodrome or landing site; the Minister and the Minister for Environmental Protection shall review at least once every five years the need to update the noise level or noise quota prescribed as aforesaid.
(b)The Minister, in consultation with the Minister for Environmental Protection, may prescribe duties that shall apply to an aerial operator for the purpose of compliance with the noise level or noise quota prescribed pursuant to subsection (a), and for the purpose of noise reduction.
Dangerous Goods§
74.
(a)
(1)No person shall carry dangerous goods on an aircraft unless they hold a suitable aerial operating licence or are a flight crew member of a licence holder as aforesaid, and subject to the conditions of that licence and to the provisions pursuant to this section;
(2)No person shall deliver dangerous goods for carriage on an aircraft except to a holder of an aerial operating licence as referred to in paragraph (1).
(b)
(1)No person shall deliver dangerous goods for carriage on an aircraft unless they have classified, packaged, marked and labelled the dangerous goods and have delivered information concerning them to the licence holder as referred to in subsection (a)(1), all as prescribed by the Minister;
(2)A licence holder as referred to in subsection (a)(1) shall not accept dangerous goods for carriage on an aircraft operated by them unless all the conditions pursuant to paragraph (1) have been fulfilled with respect to those dangerous goods.
(c)The Minister may prescribe provisions with respect to the carriage of dangerous goods on aircraft, including with respect to the following matters:
(1)the storage, handling, loading and unloading of dangerous goods;
(2)duties that shall apply to a person who delivers dangerous goods for carriage on an aircraft and to a licence holder as referred to in subsection (a)(1) who accepts dangerous goods for carriage on an aircraft, or to persons on their behalf;
(3)the training of flight crew members in the recognition and identification of dangerous goods, and in the handling of a dangerous goods incident on an aircraft;
(4)categories of dangerous goods the carriage of which on an aircraft is prohibited.
(d)In urgent cases, the Director may exempt a person from the provisions pursuant to this section if the Director has found that this is necessary for the protection of state security, human life, the environment or property, provided that the Director is satisfied that that person will take appropriate measures, to the extent possible, for the purpose of maintaining and safeguarding safety, public welfare and the environment, at a level equivalent to that achieved by compliance with the provisions pursuant to this section.
(e)The provisions pursuant to this section shall not apply to dangerous goods as detailed below, and the Minister may prescribe provisions with respect to the carriage, operation or use of such goods on an aircraft:
(1)dangerous goods whose presence on the aircraft is necessary in accordance with the provisions pursuant to this Law, including the provisions concerning equipment pursuant to section 68 and airworthiness directives within the meaning of section 69, or whose presence is necessary in accordance with the Technical Instructions for Dangerous Goods;
(2)dangerous goods that pursuant to the Technical Instructions for Dangerous Goods may be carried by a passenger or crew member for their personal use, in a quantity not exceeding that stated in the Technical Instructions for Dangerous Goods.
(f)Regulations pursuant to this section shall be made in consultation with the Minister for Environmental Protection and in accordance with the provisions of Annex 18 to the Convention and the Technical Instructions for Dangerous Goods.
(g)A copy of the Technical Instructions for Dangerous Goods shall be made available for public inspection, free of charge, at the offices of the Authority.
(h)The Minister shall publish in Reshumot (Official Gazette) and on the website of the Authority a notice of any change in the Technical Instructions for Dangerous Goods concerning the classification of a substance as dangerous goods or details concerning dangerous goods, and of the date of commencement of such change; a notice pursuant to this subsection shall state that the updated instructions are deposited for public inspection at the offices of the Authority.
Take-off and Landing of Aircraft§
75.
(a)
(1)No person shall take off an aircraft in the territory of Israel except from an aerodrome or landing site in respect of which a licence to operate has been granted pursuant to section 32, and no person shall land an aircraft in the territory of Israel except at an aerodrome or landing site as aforesaid, provided that according to the publication within the framework of aeronautical information services, the landing site or aerodrome is suitable for the take-off or landing of that aircraft, and all of this unless the Minister has provided otherwise and subject to conditions as prescribed;
(2)The provisions of paragraph (1) shall not apply to a balloon or glider; in this paragraph –
"balloon" – a lighter-than-air aircraft that is not powered by an engine;
"glider" – a heavier-than-air aircraft whose free flight does not depend principally on an engine.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), a person may take off an aircraft and land it at a military aerodrome or at a landing site that is a police infrastructure or military infrastructure, pursuant to the provisions of section 178(e) or section 179(c)(1), as the case may be.
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Contact Us →Section E: General Provisions Relating to Chapter III
Responsibility of Pilot in Command§
76.
(a)The pilot in command is responsible for the matters listed below and is the professional, decisive and final authority with respect thereto:
(1)the safety of the crew members, passengers and cargo on the aircraft;
(2)the operation of the aircraft and the safety of the flight from the moment the aircraft is ready for movement, as prescribed by the Minister in accordance with the type of aircraft, until its complete stop at the end of the flight and the shutting down of all its main engines.
(b)
(1)In an emergency that, in the opinion of the pilot in command, requires immediate action for the protection of human life or the maintenance of safety as referred to in subsection (a), the pilot in command may deviate from the provisions of any law with respect to the operation of the aircraft, to the extent required in the circumstances of the matter; in this subsection, "pilot in command" – includes another pilot who takes the pilot in command's place in flying in the absence of the pilot in command from the cockpit;
(2)A pilot in command who has acted as referred to in paragraph (1) shall notify the Director thereof, orally, as soon as possible, and shall report thereon to the Director, in writing, as prescribed by the Minister;
(3)Nothing in the provisions of this subsection shall derogate from the provisions of section 106.
(c)The Minister, with the approval of the Committee, may prescribe duties that shall apply to a pilot in command in connection with the operation of the aircraft, including before the flight, during it and after its conclusion, as well as provisions with respect to the replacement of a pilot in command due to their inability to continue to fulfil their function on that flight.
Duty of Compliance and Proper Conduct on an Aircraft§
77.
(a)Every person on an aircraft is obliged to comply with an instruction of the pilot in command or a crew member on their behalf, given pursuant to aviation laws, for the purpose of ensuring the safety and security of the aircraft, its passengers, crew members or cargo thereon, or for the purpose of maintaining good order on the aircraft or discipline therein.
(b)No person on an aircraft shall obstruct a crew member in the performance of their function, participate in an altercation on an aircraft, behave in a disorderly manner thereon, or commit an act that harms the aircraft or the aviation equipment thereon.
Responsibility of Aerial Operator§
78.
An aerial operator is responsible for the safe maintenance and safe operation of the aircraft that it operates, in accordance with the provisions pursuant to this Law.
Instruction Concerning Prohibition on Operating an Aircraft and Concerning the Rectification of Deficiencies§
79.
(a)If the Director has reasonable grounds to believe that a person is about to operate an aircraft in contravention of the provisions pursuant to sections 17, 63(a), 64(a), 66 to 69, 72(c)(2), 74 or 173(a1)(3), (4) or (5), or that the operation of an aircraft is liable to endanger human life or property, the Director may instruct the aerial operator, the pilot, the holder of a licence to operate an ATC unit, the holder of a licence to operate an aerodrome or landing site, and any other person concerned, as the case may be –
(1)to refrain from operating the aircraft or to prevent its operation, for a period as instructed;
(2)to take action to inspect the aircraft and rectify deficiencies for the purpose of rendering it airworthy, within a period as instructed or as a condition for the operation of the aircraft.
(b)The Director shall give the aerial operator of the aircraft concerned and the person to whom an instruction as referred to in subsection (a) has been given an opportunity to state their arguments as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days after the instruction was given.
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Contact Us →Chapter IV: Aviation Control Airspace
Allocation of the Aviation Control Airspace of Israel for Civil and Military Aviation§
80.
The allocation of the aviation control airspace of Israel for civil aviation and for military aviation shall be carried out by the Minister and the Minister of Defence, and in the absence of agreement between them – by the Government.
Entry and Exit Points to and from Israel and Routes in International Flight§
81.
(a)A decision concerning the points and routes through which an aircraft shall enter the aviation control airspace of Israel, exit from it or transit through it, shall be made by the Minister and the Minister of Defence, in consultation with the Minister for Environmental Protection, and in the absence of agreement between the Minister and the Minister of Defence – by the Government.
(b)Where points and routes have been prescribed pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a), no person shall fly an aircraft entering the aviation control airspace of Israel or exiting from it except through them, unless an ATC unit, with the consent of the Air Force of the Israel Defence Forces, has instructed the pilot to deviate from such points and routes.
(c)The provisions of subsection (b) shall not apply to an aircraft that is compelled to land or to change its flight path due to an accident, weather conditions, force majeure or another emergency as referred to in section 76(b); nothing in the provisions of this subsection shall derogate from the provisions pursuant to the Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952, and from the provisions pursuant to the Customs Ordinance, with respect to the procedures required for the purpose of the entry of persons or cargo into the State of Israel.
Air Traffic Instructions§
82.
(a)The Director is responsible for the planning and development of the aviation control airspace of Israel allocated for the use of civil aviation pursuant to section 80 (in this Chapter – the civil airspace), and for issuing instructions with respect to the uses of that airspace, inter alia with respect to the matters listed below, all for the purpose of ensuring the safety, regularity and efficiency of air traffic, and for the purpose of protecting public welfare and the environment:
(1)the definition of zones of the civil airspace, in accordance with the ATC services provided therein and the types of flights that may be conducted therein;
(2)flight routes in the civil airspace, to the extent that their determination is not within the authority of the Minister and the Minister of Defence pursuant to section 81;
(3)aerial approach to and departure from aerodromes and landing sites;
(4)aerial holding areas;
(5)ground movement within the area of aerodromes and landing sites;
(6)use of flight aid installations;
(7)flight zones for aircraft according to their types, including zones where the submission of a flight plan pursuant to flight rules is not required;
(8)dangerous, restricted or prohibited flight zones;
(9)hazards to air traffic.
(b)In addition to the provisions of subsection (a), the Director may issue instructions for civil aviation with respect to the matters listed in that subsection, in relation to a military infrastructure in which civil aircraft are operated pursuant to section 179(c).
(c)Air traffic instructions pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) shall be issued in accordance with the following provisions:
(1)instructions pursuant to subsection (a), with respect to the civil airspace in which ATC services are provided by the Israel Defence Forces, and instructions pursuant to subsection (b), shall be issued with the consent of the person authorised to do so by the Minister of Defence, and any other instruction – in consultation with the person so authorised;
(2)instructions on matters relating to the protection of the environment shall be issued in consultation with the person authorised to do so by the Minister for Environmental Protection.
(d)Without derogating from the provisions of subsection (c), the Director shall issue air traffic instructions after having notified the holder of a licence to operate an ATC unit of the intention to do so, and subject to security restrictions given within the framework of instructions of an authorised security body.
(e)The Director may authorise the holder of a licence to operate an ATC unit, within the framework of such a licence, to issue air traffic instructions with respect to the matters listed in subsection (a), whether all or some of them, in relation to the airspace zone under the supervision of the ATC unit; such instructions shall be issued in accordance with the provisions of subsections (c) and (d), unless there is special urgency in issuing the instructions, and also in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the Minister for that purpose.
(f)The Minister of Defence or a person authorised by the Minister of Defence, may, to the extent possible after consultation with the Director, issue instructions restricting or prohibiting flight in the aviation control airspace of Israel, on grounds of state security; notice of the issuance of such instructions shall be transmitted to the Director and to the relevant ATC unit.
(g)No person shall operate an aircraft in contravention of air traffic instructions; however, an ATC unit may issue instructions to the pilot of an aircraft that contradict the air traffic instructions and the flight rules prescribed pursuant to section 72, within the airspace zone under its supervision, if it has found that this is justified in the circumstances of the matter; where an ATC unit has issued such instructions, no person shall operate an aircraft within the airspace zone under its supervision in contravention thereof.
Publication of international routes and air traffic instructions§
83.
(a)The air traffic instructions and the points and routes determined pursuant to section 81 shall be published within the framework of aeronautical information services as determined by the Minister, and shall also be made available for public inspection, free of charge, at the Authority's offices and on the Authority's website.
(b)The instructions, points and routes referred to in subsection (a) do not require publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette); however, a notice of their determination or of changes thereto, in a publication as referred to in subsection (a) that is of permanent effect, shall also be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
Aeronautical information services§
84.
(a)The Director shall provide aeronautical information services, including collecting, processing, publishing and disseminating aeronautical information essential to the safety, regularity and efficiency of air traffic, in accordance with instructions determined by the Minister and with the provisions of Annex 15 to the Convention, except for provisions in that Annex in respect of which the Director has notified the International Aviation Organisation, pursuant to sections 4(b) and 6(d) of the Civil Aviation Authority Law, that Israel acts differently.
(b)The Director may authorise the holder of a licence to operate an ATC unit, within the framework of that licence, to publish, disseminate and transmit aeronautical information; a licence holder who has received authorisation to do so shall act in accordance with instructions determined by the Minister in accordance with Annex 15 to the Convention.
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