Overview
- Israel Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kedmi issued the warning on June 12 that constrained parking at Ben Gurion is already causing operational delays and could force airlines to cancel or reduce flights.
- Kedmi said roughly 70 aircraft are active at Ben Gurion, about 25 cargo planes are parked at Ramon, and at least 30 U.S. cargo aircraft would need to be moved from Ben Gurion to free enough stands for commercial service.
- Ben Gurion now handles about 65,000 passengers a day and is expected to reach roughly 100,000 per day at peak summer, producing a sharp mismatch between demand and available boarding gates and parking stands.
- Airlines have been told to expect formal notice by June 16 to begin contingency planning and any actual cancellations would be decided by individual carriers based on operational and commercial factors.
- Airport officials estimate up to 2.4 million tickets could be affected if the parking crunch is not resolved, and authorities say efforts are under way to free capacity though no firm solution has been announced.