Israel's Ben Gurion Airport Sees Record August Travel Despite Labor Disputes

Ben Gurion Airport experienced a turbulent August, with operations briefly halted due to labor union disputes. Despite these disruptions, Israeli travelers remained active, with the Airports Authority reporting approximately 2.71 million passengers and 17.5 thousand international and domestic flights during the month. International passenger traffic reached about 2.65 million, marking a 20.3% increase compared to August of the previous year. Israeli airlines carried 56% of all passengers passing through the airport.

American airlines have resumed flights to Israel. Greece emerged as the busiest destination, with 520,000 passengers (19.6% of total activity), followed by Cyprus (267,000 passengers, 10.09%), Italy (200,000 passengers, 7.565%), the UAE (156,000 passengers, 5.9%), and the United States (146,000 passengers, 5.5%). Larnaca Airport in Cyprus handled the largest volume of traffic, with 186,900 passengers, an increase of 12.5%.

Year-to-date, Greece remains the most popular destination for Israelis, with approximately 1.6 million passengers, despite recurring issues with Greek airspace and significant flight delays. Chania and Corfu in Greece were noted for average delays of 160 and 102 minutes, respectively, in the past 28 days.

El Al led airline traffic at Ben Gurion Airport in August, accounting for 30% of all journeys. Israir followed with 13%, Arkia with 12%, and Bluebird with 8.6%. Wizz Air, which announced a significant increase in flights, accounted for 7% of the traffic. Year-to-date, El Al leads passenger numbers with 40% of the total traffic.

Despite the busy August, overall international passenger traffic from the beginning of the year is still lower than last year. As of now, 11.1 million passengers have passed through Ben Gurion Airport in 2026, compared to 11.5 million during the same period last year. This decrease is attributed to Operation "Lion's Roar."