US military aircraft at Ben Gurion put 2.4 million summer flight tickets at risk
Concerns continue to grow over the sheer number of US military aircraft parked at Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) and how this is affecting commercial flights attempting to operate at the airport.
Unless the bulk of these aircraft is moved elsewhere in the coming weeks, there could be serious ramifications for commercial passenger flights as the summer peak travel season approaches, Israel’s transport minister has warned.
US military aircraft continue to crowd out commercial operations at Ben Gurion
Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev has warned that unless most of the US aircraft parked at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport are relocated immediately, some 2.4 million commercial passenger tickets scheduled for the peak summer months and holiday season could be cancelled.
As reported by The Times of Israel, in an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent on 14 June, Regev said that there could be a “direct economic loss of billions of shekels to airlines, the tourism industry, and the economy as a whole,” should the current number of US military jets be allowed to remain at the airport.
Additionally, Regev warned that the ongoing situation could “severely damage Israel’s credibility as an aviation destination and may put off airlines that have only recently returned to flying to Israel following the signing of a pause in direct hostilities with Iran” following the signing of a US-led ceasefire in April.
“Mass flight cancellations for summer vacations and holidays at a time when the Israeli public needs calm and normalcy more than ever will damage national morale and civic resilience,” Regev said in her letter sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Flight cancellations will be another blow to the public, and responsibility for this will be rightly attributed to the government’s inability to provide a solution to a solvable problem.”
Dozens of US military aircraft remain parked at Ben Gurion
According to data seen by Regev, a fleet of around 72 US refuelling and cargo planes currently remains parked at Ben Gurion Airport as part of the US military buildup in the region due to the war with Iran.
This is causing a lack of space and congestion in the airport parking areas, which is already disrupting passenger flights.
The significant presence of US military aircraft occupying areas at Ben Gurion has been delaying a full return to normal commercial flight operations at Israel’s main international gateway following the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Regev added that congestion at Ben Gurion is making operations more expensive for local airlines, due to parking costs at bases outside of Israel, while limiting the number of flights Israeli airlines can operate.
According to Regev, another 26 American aircraft are stationed at the Ramon airport in southern Israel, adding to the congestion issue.
Regev’s letter to the Prime Minister was sent just ahead of a 16 June deadline when airlines are expected to be informed by the Israel Airports Authority that they need to prepare to cancel some of their flights scheduled for the summer peak season starting on 1 July and potentially the High Holidays season due in September and October.
Millions of passenger bookings could be affected
Currently, more than 65,000 arriving and departing passengers pass through Ben Gurion Airport daily. With the peak summer holiday travel period due to begin on 1 July, this figure is expected to rise to around 100,000 in August, when the airport will be unable to handle this number of passengers due to a shortage of parking stands.
Israel Airport Authority CEO Sharon Kedmi recently told media outlets in Israel that without a solution to the parking shortage, “every fourth passenger will receive a cancellation notice.”
As reported by Aerospace Global News, Kdemi has said that the presence of US military aircraft has so far cost Israel’s airport authority nearly $250m in losses over the past two months.
According to Kdemi, Ben Gurion Airport is currently operating at only one-third of its capacity due to the presence of the US military refuelling aircraft, effectively crowding out commercial flights at the airport.
The build-up to war flooded the airport with military jets
Ahead of the US-Israel war with Iran, which broke out on February 28 and led to the closure of Israeli airspace, local airlines moved their fleets out of the country to prevent them from being targeted by the Islamic Republic.
Meanwhile, American refuelling tankers arrived at Ben Gurion as part of the US’s massive buildup of military forces in the Middle East.
It is understood that aircraft from various bases in the US, Europe and the Middle East are all based in Israel, giving the US a forward operating base from which to conduct missions closer to the current theatre.
While the new Memorandum of Understanding formalising an immediate ceasefire between the US and Iran is due to be signed on Friday (19 June), US aircraft are still expected to be retained at Ben Gurion Airport as the extensive scaling down of operations in the Middle East region begins.
Israeli airlines have been impacted the most
Since the signing of a tentative 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran in April and the reopening of Ben Gurion to regular civilian air traffic, Israeli airlines, including El Al, Arkia, and Israir, have not been able to return their entire fleet to the airport because of parking congestion caused by the presence of the US refuelling fleet.
“We understand the importance of security cooperation with the US, and there is no intention to harm it,” Regev added to her letter.
“The solution is to immediately relocate about 30 US aircraft to airports outside of Israel, or move them to other local air force bases,“ she concluded.
Featured image: DVIDS
