Summer flight restrictions put on hold, but tens of thousands of tickets remain at risk

Foreign airlines were told this morning that, for now, the letter ordering a reduction in the number of summer landings and takeoffs at Ben Gurion Airport has been suspended. The freeze comes amid a plan to move some American refueling personnel from the airport to Israel Air Force bases, which would free up dozens of aircraft parking stands on the field.

Even so, the disruption is far from over. According to airline officials, the partial solution would allow regular operations only in the first days of July, not throughout the entire summer. Based on the new assessment, tens of thousands of airline tickets are still expected to be canceled, a significant blow to Israeli aviation and to summer travel plans.

The Airports Authority warned that if the American refuelers are not removed from Ben Gurion, 2.4 million passengers could receive cancellation notices this summer. In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Transportation Minister Miri Regev wrote that thousands of flights would be canceled, including flights to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

Foreign carriers are demanding to receive their takeoff and landing slots at least two weeks before they are forced to cancel flights. They say this is necessary because of the Tibi Law, which requires airlines to compensate passengers when schedule changes are made within two weeks of departure.