US halts removal of refuelers from Ben Gurion Airport, but Israel says only 20 can stay

Regev: 'The remaining planes can land at Air Force bases'

Tens of thousands of passengers’ flight tickets could be canceled as the US military aircraft crowd out civilian planes at Israel’s main air gateway, aviation officials warn

By Sharon Wrobel

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Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel

The US said Tuesday that it was halting the planned removal of its aerial refueling tankers from Ben Gurion Airport amid the mounting escalation with Iran, prompting Israel to warn that it would cap the number of such planes allowed to stay there in order to avert disruptions of commercial flight operations.

“Hundreds of thousands of tickets were bought by Israelis to fly and enjoy their summer vacation,” said Transportation Minister Miri Regev. “We promised that we will enable commercial flights and we will not cancel a single ticket because of American refueling planes.”

“Therefore, I have given instructions that we will not allow any US refueling tankers to land at Ben Gurion Airport beyond the agreed number of 20 planes, and the remaining planes can land at Israeli Air Force bases,” Regev added.

It is feared that the US move, leaving refuelers at the airport to take up space that would otherwise be occupied by civilian planes, will lead to flight cancellations for tens of thousands of passengers during the peak summer travel season of July and August.

Early Tuesday morning, the US launched fresh strikes on Iran, hours after President Donald Trump said Washington was “reinstating” a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with attacks targeting Bahrain, Jordan and two tankers associated with the United Arab Emirates traveling through the strait, killing one mariner and wounding eight.

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The latest hostilities come after Iran said over the weekend that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, casting further doubt on an interim deal to halt the war.

The Israel Airports Authority has warned that unless US aircraft continue to be removed from Ben Gurion Airport during the busy summer months, as many as 50,000 flight tickets could be at risk of cancellation.

Earlier this month, the US began returning home some of its military refueling planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport as tensions seemed to diminish upon the signing of a memorandum of understanding to end the US-Israeli war against Iran.

A fleet of about 75 US refuelers and cargo planes had parked at Ben Gurion Airport for many months, as part of the US military buildup in the region prior to the war, which erupted on February 28 and led to the closure of Israel’s airspace.

Following the partial removal of the tankers in recent weeks, more than 30 US refueling planes are estimated to be stationed at Ben Gurion Airport, crowding out civilian aircraft and creating a shortage of parking spaces.

The presence of US military aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport has been preventing a full return to normal commercial flight operations at Israel’s main international gateway, while also driving up operational costs for local airlines — expenses that industry officials have warned will ultimately be passed on to travelers.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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