Ben Gurion Airport Faces Holiday Rush Amid Infrastructure and Labor Challenges
Israel's aviation sector is entering the High Holidays with a mixed outlook. While more foreign airlines are returning to Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), launching new routes and increasing seat capacity, the airport faces significant infrastructure and staffing challenges. This comes after a summer marked by revealed limitations and labor disputes, particularly concerning ground crews. Approximately 2.5 million passengers are expected to pass through TLV during the upcoming holidays, a substantial increase from 1.84 million in the previous year. The airport will host 55 airlines, up from 45.
Recent weeks have seen a notable recovery in Israeli air travel. Transavia resumed operations in late August and has since expanded its routes from TLV to Lyon, Marseille, and Orly. Wizz Air announced an expansion, adding dozens of weekly flights and reopening five routes to destinations like Catania, London, Venice, Kolozsvar, and Iasi, while increasing frequencies on 11 existing routes. The US air travel market is also experiencing a boom, with Delta and United Airlines returning to TLV. For the first time in months, Israeli carriers El Al and Arkia are not the sole operators on US routes, with Arkia increasing capacity to New York using a Boeing 787-9. Israir has also accelerated its New York route launch, expected shortly after Rosh Hashanah.
The return of foreign carriers means a greater variety of destinations, frequencies, and potentially prices, especially on competitive routes. However, immediate price drops are not guaranteed due to high demand. Israir, for instance, reported significant bookings despite high initial ticket prices, filling a gap in the market for seats to the US. Notably absent are low-cost giants like Ryanair and easyJet, whose low fares are missed. easyJet continues to postpone its return, while Ryanair has expressed reluctance to operate at TLV due to regional instability, demanding operations solely from the cheaper Terminal 1, a condition security officials deem unacceptable.
Other airlines like Air Canada have delayed their return, American Airlines suspended flights until March, and Iberia postponed its route resumption until late October. The absence of these carriers limits direct flight options for Israelis, often necessitating connecting flights. Security concerns also impact air travel; Israeli airlines can only resume flights to the Emirates next month after security officials prohibited them since Operation "Lion's Roar," allowing Flydubai and Etihad to dominate the route. This resumption, though profitable for El Al and Arkia, remains subject to security threats.
The primary challenge for TLV remains its capacity to handle the surge in demand. August saw peak days with over 100,000 passengers, and a baggage handling crisis on August 20th highlighted infrastructure weaknesses and labor tensions between the airport authority and the workers' union. While both sides committed to cooperation, past disputes suggest potential for further disruptions during the busy holiday period. The timing of the holidays, early September with pleasant weather and most falling on weekends, also affects travel patterns, leading to demand for shorter trips to nearby destinations like Greece and Cyprus, as well as Eastern European cities and Italy.
Additional challenges include the presence of US military refuelers at TLV, which can cause delays due to priority landings and takeoffs. Congestion at major European airports, coupled with operational limitations and staff shortages, can create ripple effects for flights to Israel. The significant increase in passenger traffic to Uman for Rosh Hashanah also strains resources. The ongoing dispute between the Airport Authority and the workers' union adds another layer of operational uncertainty, raising fears of further disruptions during the peak season.
