Skies open over Bar Refaeli's wedding
There's room at Israeli supermodel's wedding... if you have a plane: Transportation minister cancels no-fly zone over Rafaeli's wedding.
It may be impossible for the normal person to get an invitation to Bar Rafaeli's highly anticipated wedding, but the skies above the event will be open to the public, according to a decision Sunday morning from Transportation Minister Israel Katz.
"The skies belong to all Israeli citizens and we can't offer special treatment for this event over other events," said Katz. "We must maintain a semblence of equality in approving flights."
Katz's decision came after Israel's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issue a notice to pilots and airlines on Friday declaring the airspace over the Carmel woods a no-fly zone during the wedding.
The company responsible for documenting the event asked for the area to be shut down, since a zeppelin, two private planes, and five drones will be airborne above the event.
The restricted area covers about four square kilometers, and 3,000 feet and above. The notice was meant to be in effect from September 24 at 5pm, and would have lasted until September 25 at 2am.
A pilot who planned on flying in the area angrily said of the notice, "Closing public airspace because of a celebrity's request for privacy is like shutting down the Ayalon Highway because a celebrity doesn't want one of the vehicles on the road to photograph them at home."
He added that, "even if it's due to safety concerns, the ones who are hurt by it are the pilots, and the resource is taken from the public. Either way, it doesn't smell good at all, and that's putting it mildly."
The Ministry of Transportation originally responded to the planned closure, saying the decision was made for safety reasons, since a large number of aircraft will be occupying the area.
"These are safety guidelines that are used when unmanned aircraft are active," the ministry announced. "The guidelines were published in accordance with Civil Aviation Authority regulations and the procedures according to law."
The Refaeli family declined to comment on the matter.
