Mass flight cancellations at Ben-Gurion Airport threatened unless US aircraft relocated

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that more than 2.4 million summer and holiday flight tickets could be cancelled if U.S. refueling aircraft stationed at Ben-Gurion and Ramon airports are not moved by Tuesday.

In a letter, Regev said the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) would be instructed on Tuesday to notify airlines of potential mass cancellations if the aircraft are not relocated to alternative sites, including Israeli Air Force bases or airports outside Israel.

She said that at least some of the aircraft should be moved to military bases, warning that failure to act could cause “direct economic damage of billions of shekels” to airlines, tourism, and the broader economy, as well as harm Israel’s reputation as an aviation destination.

“If half of the refuelers are not removed by Tuesday, June 16, we will inform more than two million citizens that their summer flights, including Breslov trips to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, are canceled,” she emphasized.

Regev also warned that cancelling summer flights after several years of war could have negative psychological effects on the Israeli public.

“Mass cancellations of summer and holiday flights at a time when the Israeli public needs relief and normalcy more than ever will harm national morale and civic resilience,” she wrote.

According to the letter, approximately 72 refueling aircraft belonging to the United States are currently parked at Ben-Gurion International Airport outside of Tel Aviv, taking up more than half of the airport’s available parking capacity. At Ramon Airport in the southern city of Eilat, approximately 90% of available parking spaces have been taken up by 26 refueling aircraft.

In her letter, Regev also stressed that the government values the U.S. presence in Israel, saying, “We are full of appreciation for the Americans and want them to remain here. We simply want to distribute the burden across the country and reduce the load at Ben Gurion.”

Regev’s letter is her second in three weeks on the issue.

On May 26, she wrote to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and the acting head of the National Security Council, warning that an “unprecedented distortion” had effectively placed civilian aviation under an operational lockdown.

She said the IAA is prepared to allocate smaller airfields in Rosh Pina, Megiddo, Sde Teiman, and Ein Yahav for the relocation of U.S. refueling aircraft.

IAA CEO Sharon Kedmi told Ynet News that if the issue is not resolved, passengers could soon be notified of cancellations, estimating that “one in every four passengers will receive a cancellation notice.”