Despite Escalation, Ben Gurion Airport Continues Operating, El Al to Allow Flight Changes
Ben Gurion Airport, the Israel Airports Authority and the Air Force held a situation assessment this morning, Monday, regarding the continued operation of flights at Ben Gurion Airport in light of the ongoing launches from Iran. Several planes that were due to land in recent hours were diverted until they received clearance to complete the approach and landed safely.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev said she is holding regular situation assessments with the director general of the ministry, the management of the Israel Airports Authority and all professional officials. At this stage, there is no decision to close the airspace or halt operations at Ben Gurion Airport. At the same time, professional discussions are taking place following Home Front Command’s demand to limit the number of people present at Ben Gurion Airport to 2,500.
If decisions are made to reduce activity or space out takeoff and landing schedules, an orderly announcement will be issued to the public and the airlines. The ministry also said that it is operating in full coordination with all security agencies in order to protect passengers, alongside maintaining the continuity of air traffic at Israel’s main entry and exit gateway.
Meanwhile, El Al flights that were due to land around 06:00, when a barrage was fired from Yemen toward central Israel, were instructed to turn back until they were allowed to return to the airport and landed successfully a short time later. At least three aircraft were waiting for clearance while the missiles were intercepted in the air. During the barrages from Iran as well, landing at the airport was suspended and then resumed again shortly afterward.
Some 60,000 passengers were expected to land and take off at Ben Gurion Airport today before the escalation with Iran began. It is not clear how many of the scheduled flights will actually operate, and as noted, an orderly update will be issued after the situation assessment and depending on the continued fire toward Israel.
El Al said that customers holding tickets for departures through June 13 inclusive may choose between receiving a credit voucher for future use or changing their flight date to the same destination. Changing a flight to a new date up to June 13, 2026 will be possible without a change fee and without paying fare differences, subject to availability in the same service class.
The company also said that due to the high occupancy on its flights, it cannot guarantee a seat on a future flight for customers who choose to cancel or change their ticket. The airline added that for a ticket purchased through a travel agent, passengers should contact the agent through whom the booking was made in order to make the change or cancellation.
Hungarian airline Wizz Air informed its customers that it is temporarily suspending its flights to Israel for today and tomorrow, June 8 and 9, in response to the current escalation in the region. Flights to Israel are currently scheduled to resume on June 10, subject to the situation. The safety and security of passengers and crew remain the company’s top priority, and it continues to closely monitor the developing situation in coordination with the relevant authorities.
At the beginning of last month, the European recommendation against flying to Israel was lifted. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which is responsible for aviation safety in Europe, issued a statement saying that the recommendation not to fly to Israel, which had been in effect until today, was canceled. The meaning is that each European airline will conduct an internal discussion, carry out a risk assessment and make its own decision on whether to fly to Ben Gurion Airport.
According to the statement, the situation in Israel changed from an “intense military conflict” to a condition of “heightened tension,” and the blanket ban on flights remains only for Iran, Lebanon and Iraq.
