Israel Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kedmi warned that if no solution is found in the coming days to the parking shortage at Ben Gurion Airport, airlines will be forced to begin cancelling flights scheduled for the summer and the Tishrei (High) Holidays (September 11 to October 4).
In a conversation with ynet, Kedmi said dozens of U.S. cargo aircraft occupying parking areas at Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport could create a situation in which “every fourth passenger will receive a cancellation notice.”
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Airlines will be forced to begin cancelling flights scheduled for the summer and the Tishrei Holidays
(Photo: Teo K / shutterstock)
According to Kedmi, by June 16 airlines are expected to be informed that they must prepare to cancel some of their scheduled summer and holiday flights. He estimated that without a solution, about 2.4 million tickets could be cancelled.
The urgent warning comes as the airport has faced ongoing constraints since February, during which U.S. cargo aircraft have taken up a significant share of parking space. “Today there are about 70 aircraft in active movement at Ben Gurion Airport, takeoffs, landings and refuelling, and another 25 cargo aircraft parked at Ramon Airport,” he said.
“As long as the U.S. fleet does not leave Ben Gurion Airport and is not moved to other destinations, we have no choice but to prepare for a situation in which airlines will have to cancel part of their scheduled flights,” he added. “We are obliged to inform airlines in advance that they must prepare for cancellations unless a political decision is made and the U.S. fleet clears the parking spaces it occupies at Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport.”
Kedmi said that in the first stage, at least 30 U.S. cargo aircraft must be removed from Ben Gurion Airport to allow commercial flights already scheduled for the summer and holiday season to be handled.
He noted that the impact is already being felt at the airport. “There are delays in takeoffs and landings, and passengers are forced to wait for long periods on aircraft due to a shortage of parking stands and jet bridges. Only on Wednesday, passengers on a Blue Bird flight waited a long time until they could disembark,” he said.
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Kedmi said that in the first stage, at least 30 U.S. cargo aircraft must be removed from Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: REUTERS/ Dedi Hayun)
According to him, about 65,000 passengers currently pass through Ben Gurion Airport each day, with traffic expected to rise to about 100,000 per day at the peak of summer. “If we are not able to free up parking for commercial flights, we will have to inform airlines that it will not be possible to handle all scheduled flights,” he said.
Kedmi added that about two weeks ago, when it appeared a U.S.–Iran agreement might be signed within days, messages were conveyed suggesting that once an agreement was signed, U.S. military aircraft would quickly vacate parking stands in Israel and move to other destinations in the Middle East. “There was also an understanding that if the campaign against Iran resumed, they could immediately return to Ben Gurion Airport,” he said. “But in practice no agreement was signed and the evacuation of the aircraft is not on the horizon.”
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Israel Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kedmi
(Photo: Courtesy of the Airports Authority)
Kedmi stressed that decisions on which flights are cancelled are not the responsibility of the Airports Authority. “Each airline will make its own decisions according to its commercial and operational considerations,” he said.
He also added that, in his assessment, U.S. military aircraft currently occupy about two thirds of available parking stands at Ben Gurion Airport. The impact, he said, is expected to affect not only Israeli airlines but also foreign carriers already operating in Israel and those planning to resume flights during the summer months.