"Rose Al-Youssef": Egypt bans Israeli planes from Taba

The Egyptian authorities are not prepared to allow Israeli planes to land, take off, or fly over Taba
 
Egyptian weekly "Rose Al-Youssef" reported last week that the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority directorate had decided to ban Israeli planes from using the airstrip at Taba in Sinai, adjacent to Eilat. The weekly also noted that the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority also objects to Israeli planes using the airspace over northeast Sinai. Taba is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest border crossing with neighboring Israel.
 
According to the report, “Israeli airlines sometimes use the Taba airstrip when traffic is heavy, in severe weather conditions, or during emergencies”.
 
Rose Al-Youssef " quotes Civil Aviation Authority director Samah Hafni as saying, "This decision is final and is in response to the conduct of Israeli pilots”.
 
The weekly newspaper reported that the dispute between the two sides began a few weeks ago when an Israeli pilot refused to carry out the instructions of the Taba air controller. The Israeli plane was delayed for a while, due to bad weather, and when it was cleared for take-off, the pilot apparently refused.
 
Following the incident, the Egyptian authorities are not prepared to allow Israeli planes to land, take off, or fly over Taba.