Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion Airport to Reopen After Four-Month Closure

Israel Airports Authority is reopening Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion Airport to prepare for the expected summer surge in passenger traffic in July and August. The terminal, which had been closed for four months, will resume domestic flights on June 28 and international flights on July 1. Passengers are being advised to check in advance which terminal their flight departs from.

The Airports Authority said the reopening should improve service at the airport. Terminal 1 was shut before Operation Rising Lion to adapt the airport to the security situation, and it has remained out of service since then.

The authority is also trying to clear American refuelers from Ben Gurion to make room for airlines and peak summer operations. It said the reopening of Terminal 1 is part of that effort, but officials still fear congestion on the ground and in the air could make it difficult to run summer flights unless at least 30 refuelers are removed from the airport.

The move matters especially for low-cost carriers such as Wizz Air, because landing and airport fees at Terminal 1 are lower and such airlines are accustomed to operating from smaller terminals worldwide. Ryanair, which has suspended its flights to Israel, has said it does not find operations from Terminal 3 economically viable because fees there are higher, and that it cannot consider resuming flights until Terminal 1 reopens.