Ben Gurion Airport has been stuffed with US Air Power refueling planes in current months, taking over many plane parking tons on the tarmac and stopping many passenger plane from touchdown and taking off, simply as the height summer season season is ready to begin.
In a letter despatched at present by Minister of Transport Miri Regev to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she warns that if the US planes aren’t moved out, greater than 2 million airline tickets price billions of shekels shall be canceled inside the subsequent two days.
“On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the Israel Civil Aviation Authority will formally notify Israeli airways that they need to inform their clients of the cancellation of greater than 2.4 million airline tickets for the summer season and holidays season, tickets which have lengthy been offered,” Regev writes. “This can be a direct financial lack of billions of shekels to the airways, the tourism trade and the financial system. Moreover, this can severely harm Israel’s credibility as an aviation vacation spot and will drive airways that solely lately resumed flying to Israel following the ceasefire to postpone flights.”
The answer proposed by Regev
As a result of summer season and holidays season, throughout which, amongst different issues, many individuals additionally fly to Uman, the Minister of Transport warns that mass cancellation of flights throughout this era “will harm nationwide morale and the resilience of society in a method that’s troublesome to quantify,” and notes that if half of the refueling planes aren’t vacated inside two days, the cancellations previous to Rosh Hashana will embrace flights to Uman for the brand new yr vacation.
Regev famous that she is conscious of the Prime Minister’s contacts with the Individuals, who’ve 72 refueling planes at Ben Gurion Airport, occupying about half of the out there parking areas. A further 26 US refueling planes are parked at Ramon Airport close to Eilat, occupying about 90% of the out there parking areas. In line with Regev, “not a single US refueling airplane is parked at Israel Air Power bases.” As a consequence of this and the evaluation that the US won’t quickly switch the refueling planes to neighboring international locations, Regev suggests utilizing air drive bases.
The Minister of Transport means that the Israel Air Power switch planes to civilian airfields, as a part of a potential deployment by the Israel Airports Authority at websites similar to Sde Taman, Rosh Pina, Megiddo and Ein Yahav. “This various accurately balances nationwide, safety and civilian pursuits,” the Minister of Transport concludes, whereas asking the Prime Minister to order the implementation of the transfer. “This proposal has been submitted to the IDF Chief of Employees and the Deputy Chief of Employees and the Commander of the Air Power, I additionally offered it on the cupboard assembly. Sadly, regardless of the presentation of the choice, it isn’t being applied. I perceive that this actuality is handy for the IDF and the Air Power, however now we have an obligation to consider civil aviation.”
Revealed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on June 14, 2026.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.
