A group of U.S. experts have uncovered severe shortcomings in Israel’s aviation security system, local daily Ha’aretz reported Friday.

The major problem affecting flight safety is a lack of proper supervision from civilian authorities, experts from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration concluded following a tour of Israel’s aviation facilities, said the report.

The group also found that Ben-Gurion International Airport, the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, has serious flight safety shortcomings, citing Israel’s especially crowded airspace as a serious safety concern, the newspaper added.

The U.S. agency plans to issue a report on its findings in 90 days, which some fear could lead to cutbacks in the number of flights Israeli airlines will be allowed to make to the United States, according to the report.

Ben-Gurion Airport is widely considered to be one of the most secure airports in the world, while Ha’aretz reported that a civilian committee headed by former Israel Air Force general Amos Lapidot also found last year that Israel’s aviation safety was in a “catastrophic state,” and he called to increase supervision on air traffic control systems and better train the controllers.

(Source: Xinuha News Agency)