Israel Airports Chief Warns Summer Flights May Be Canceled If Parking Crisis at Ben Gurion Isn’t Resolved

Sharon Kadmi, director general of the Israel Airports Authority, warned that if no solution is found in the coming days to the parking shortage at Ben Gurion Airport, airlines will have to begin canceling flights planned for the summer and the Tishrei holidays. In a conversation with ynet, Kadmi said dozens of U.S. cargo planes occupying parking areas at Ben Gurion and Ramon Airport could lead to a situation in which "every fourth passenger will receive a cancellation notice." According to Kadmi, by June 16 an announcement is expected to be sent to airlines saying they will need to prepare to cancel some of the flights planned for the summer and the Tishrei holidays. Kadmi estimated that without a solution, about 2.4 million plane tickets would be canceled.

The reason, Kadmi said, is the situation at Ben Gurion since February, in which American cargo planes have been taking up a significant portion of the airport’s parking areas. "Today there are about 70 aircraft in motion at Ben Gurion, departures, landings and refueling, and another about 25 cargo planes parked at Ramon Airport," he said. "As long as the U.S. fleet aircraft do not leave Ben Gurion and are transferred to other destinations, we have no choice but to prepare for a situation in which airlines will be forced to cancel some of the scheduled flights," he added. "We are obligated to notify the airlines in advance that they must prepare to cancel flights, unless another political decision is made and the U.S. fleet aircraft clear the parking spaces they are occupying at Ben Gurion and Ramon Airport."

In the first stage, at least 30 American cargo planes need to be removed from Ben Gurion to allow for the commercial flights airlines have already reserved for the summer season and the holidays, Kadmi said. He noted that the airport is already feeling the impact. "There are delays in departures and landings, and passengers are forced to wait a long time on the planes because of a shortage of parking positions and jet bridges. Just yesterday, passengers on a Blue Bird flight waited a long time until they could be disembarked," he said. According to him, about 65,000 passengers pass through Ben Gurion every day, and at the peak of the summer season traffic is expected to rise to about 100,000 passengers a day. "If it is not possible to return parking positions to use for commercial flights, we will have to inform the airlines that it will not be possible to handle all of the planned flights," he said.

Kadmi said that about two weeks ago, when it appeared that an agreement between the United States and Iran might be signed within days, messages were conveyed saying that once the agreement was signed, the U.S. fleet aircraft would quickly clear the parking spaces they occupy in Israel and be transferred to other destinations in the Middle East. "There was also an understanding that if the campaign against Iran resumed, their immediate return to Ben Gurion would be possible," he said. "But in practice, no agreement was signed, and the evacuation of the aircraft is not on the horizon."

Kadmi stressed that the decision over which flights will be canceled is not the responsibility of the Israel Airports Authority. "Each airline will make its own decisions according to its commercial and operational considerations," he said. He added that, in his assessment, the U.S. fleet aircraft currently occupy about two-thirds of the available parking spaces at Ben Gurion. According to him, the impact is expected to affect not only Israeli airlines, but also foreign carriers that have already resumed operations in Israel and others that planned to renew flights during the summer months.