IAA to evacuate Bnei Atarot residents affected by Ben–Gurion noise

The Israel Airport Authority on Tuesday decided to evacuate residents of Moshav Bnei Atarot affected by noise from Ben Gurion Airport air traffic.

The IAA undertook to accommodate all affected residents who meet the Environment Ministry's noise pollution criteria in hotels in response to the ministry's threats it would close the airport unless a solution to noise problems afflicting Bnei Atarot was not found by Wednesday.

Noise from aircraft passing over the community has reached unbearable levels since the IAA shifted all flights to a temporary route passing directly over the moshav due to construction work at the airport. In the letter written to IAA chief Gabi Ophir, the head of the department for noise and radiation prevention, Dr. Galberg, wrote that "14 days ago, the Environmental Ministry demanded that the IAA offer to evacuate the residents of Moshav Bnei Atarot to a hotel while their homes are exposed to incredible noise which is above 95 decibels."