Transportation Ministry says it reached deal to clear US jets clogging up Tel Aviv airport

Reports say agreement reached after minister asked Netanyahu to intervene personally, will see 30 jets leave Ben Gurion for Israeli Air Force bases by Tuesday

By and Sharon Wrobel

You will receive email alerts from this author.

Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author.

Manage alert preferences on your profile page

Today, 10:03 am

Edit

The Transportation Ministry said Friday that it reached an understanding with the US military to accelerate the departure of dozens of US military jets that were clogging up Ben Gurion Airport and threatening the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights.

A fleet of about 75 US refuelers and cargo jets has parked at the Tel Aviv-area airport since the lead-up to the Iran war, leaving very little room for civilian planes.

The US and Israel launched the war on February 28, and the fighting entered a truce on April 8, with US-Iran peace talks underway following a memorandum of understanding reached last week.

The Ynet news site reported Friday that under the Transportation Ministry’s agreement with the US military, 30 jets will move to Israeli Air Force bases by Tuesday and another 20 will move at a later date, but the jets will be able to return within some 72 hours in case of an escalation.

Fifteen US jets have already left  Ben Gurion since June 15, Ynet said.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition

by email and never miss our top stories

By signing up, you agree to the terms

Israel Airports Authority head Sharon Kedmi had said in an urgent letter this week to Transportation Minister Miri Regev that the continued US military presence at Ben Gurion threatened to disrupt the flights of 100,000 passengers in the peak summer season starting in July.

Channel 13 said the Transportation Ministry reached an understanding with the US military after Regev asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to personally intervene in the matter.

Daily passenger traffic at Ben Gurion is expected to climb amid the summer holiday from roughly 65,000 currently to a possible 100,000 in August.

Meanwhile, out of Ben Gurion’s 99 parking spots normally designated for civilian aircraft, just 65  would have been available. According to Kedmi, the airport needs at least 80 spots to sustain flight operations in July, and all 99 in August.

Local aviation officials have also warned that the congestion at Ben Gurion could push back the return of foreign airlines and push up ticket prices.

Major European airlines, including Air France, have continued canceling flight services to and from Israel through June. US carriers such as Delta have pushed back their return to September, and British Airways has canceled services up to October.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Lufthansa airline group this month started a phased renewal of flights to and from Israel, and popular Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air returned to Ben Gurion at the end of May, after a three-month break. Spanish carrier Air Europe is planning to renew flights between Madrid and Tel Aviv on Monday.

If you’d like to comment, join

The Times of Israel Community.