Last-Minute Relief as Airport Parking Crisis Threatens Fewer Summer Flight Cancellations

Israel Airports Authority says a planned warning to airlines was not sent this morning after progress was made in removing some American aircraft parked at Ben Gurion Airport. That means the feared disruption to summer and holiday flights has narrowed, at least for now, from a possible impact on more than 2.4 million tickets to a risk of several hundred thousand cancellations.

The authority said the move is only a partial solution and that efforts are continuing to clear additional aircraft to reduce the expected damage during the summer peak. According to people familiar with the matter, about 20 planes are expected to leave in the coming days, out of roughly 75 American aircraft currently occupying valuable parking space at the airport.

The parking shortage has prompted sharp warnings in recent weeks from both the Airports Authority and the Transportation Ministry. Had no solution been found, airlines would have been forced to cut summer and Tishrei holiday schedules, affecting more than 2.4 million tickets. Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kadmi told ynet on Thursday morning, "We have gone down to several hundred thousand flight cancellations already in July." He added that more work is needed to remove more of the American tanker and transport aircraft still at Ben Gurion, saying there is no clear timetable for their departure.

Transport Minister Miri Regev warned in an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just two days ago that without immediate removal of some of the planes, more than 2.4 million summer and holiday tickets could be canceled. Kadmi also previously warned that, without a solution, "every fourth passenger" could receive a cancellation notice.