Ministry of Transport director general Dan Harel today announced that the jet fuel contamination at Ben Gurion Airport earlier this month was caused during the transport of the fuel from Oil Refineries Ltd. (TASE:ORL) to the airport. "This wasn’t fungus in the fuel tanks, but something in the pipeline. A filter somewhere probably broke," he told the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, adding that the contaminant was probably soot and fiberglass.
Israel Airports Authority director general Koby Mor tried to downplay the incident, telling the committee, "Ben Gurion Airport was not closed for even a moment. Everything was working and there were takeoffs and landings all the time."
Mor said, "The decision to stop refueling planes was taken on the basis of a report by Paz Aviation Assets, which relied on an opinion by Yosefa Ben-Asher of the Israel Institute of Energy and Environment that the fuel was not fit for use and that using it risked lives. We don’t take risks. We were aware of the damages and inconvenience. We're committed to passenger safety. Ben Gurion Airport resumed regular operations - the refueling of planes - only after the fuel company notified us that Ben-Asher ruled that the fuel was fit for use and met international standards."
The incident's cumulative damage to airlines and plane refueling companies is estimated at tens of millions of shekels. The airlines hold Paz Oil Company Ltd. (TASE:PZOL) as responsible for the contamination, saying the company failed to invest adequate amounts in jet fuel transportation, storage, and handling.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 18, 2011
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