U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft have begun leaving Ben Gurion Airport, where dozens had been parked at Ben Gurion and dozens more at Ramon Airport. On Wednesday, about six refueling planes left Ben Gurion for Ramon, and the refueling aircraft stationed at Ramon then departed Israel. Another roughly 20 aircraft are expected to finish leaving by Sunday, and the American military says they can return if needed.
The gradual departure comes as the ceasefire with Iran and more optimistic expectations about the situation have reduced the number of flight tickets that could be canceled. The Israel Airports Authority now fears about 100,000 cancellations, after warning last week that as many as 400,000 tickets could be canceled in July alone. Officials had earlier warned that continued parking of U.S. refueling aircraft was hurting civil aviation at Ben Gurion and could worsen congestion and cause major disruptions.
At an emergency meeting, the Airports Authority said the ongoing occupation of parking stands by American aircraft could intensify bottlenecks and damage daily operations. It also warned of 2.2 million canceled tickets between July and October. The authority said the airport is operating at maximum effort and that any loss of parking capacity or operational flexibility could affect airlines and passengers.
People involved in the talks said civilian and security authorities are holding regular coordination meetings to reduce the damage and keep Ben Gurion functioning as normally as possible. The issue comes amid broader concern over the impact of the security situation on Israeli aviation since the fighting began.
Days earlier, Channel 13 reported that Transportation Minister Miri Regev sharply attacked U.S. President Donald Trump in a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior ministers, saying Trump was "not attacking, and he is also taking over the airport." She also criticized the American refueling presence at Ben Gurion, saying, "There is no way this looks, at least have the refueling planes removed from here."
