American Refuelers at Ben Gurion Raise Parking and Security Concerns

Israel’s incoming National Security Council chief, Shmuel Ben Ezra, has been dealing in recent days with a parking shortage at Ben Gurion Airport caused by parked American refueling aircraft, which are taking up a significant share of the available stands. According to the current outline, about half of the American refuelers stationed at the airport will be moved to Israeli Air Force bases, while additional parking space will be freed up for the air force at other sites across the country, including Megiddo. A final solution is expected in the coming days. One informed source said, “No commercial flight will be canceled because of the American refuelers.”

The issue has intensified as the security situation worsens and the public again asks whether Ben Gurion could keep operating in the event of an escalation. Many passengers fear a possible airport closure. Officials cited three main scenarios that could force shutdowns, a large missile barrage at Ben Gurion, interception debris falling in the airport area, or a direct missile strike on the airport.

After the opening of Operation “Roar of the Lion” on February 28, authorities immediately closed the civilian airspace for 48 hours. The restrictions were later extended until air traffic gradually resumed, while land crossings continued to operate normally. Last week, during the limited exchanges of fire on Monday, aviation officials said even rocket fire toward central Israel would not necessarily mean a long shutdown of Ben Gurion.

They said the more likely response would be a temporary halt to takeoffs and landings during warnings or sirens, followed by a quick return to normal operations. Those officials added that even if the security situation worsens again, a full and hermetic closure of the airspace is not currently under consideration, apart from localized short closures that could last up to 12 hours.

At the same time, authorities have also examined reducing airport activity. Under discussions on the matter, the Home Front Command asked to limit the number of people inside Ben Gurion to about 2,500 at one time, a move that would also reduce the number of flights departing from the airport. Earlier on Tuesday, Transportation Minister Miri Regev sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that without an immediate solution to the parking shortage, more than 2.4 million plane tickets could be canceled during the summer and the High Holidays, including travel plans for thousands of Breslov Hasidim heading to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.