Ben Gurion Airport Faces Longest Flight Delays Thursdays at 2 PM, Early Mornings Easiest
Recent data from Ben Gurion Airport reveals that the worst time to fly is Thursday at 14:00, with average delays reaching 104 minutes. This peak congestion follows a chaotic week that raised concerns among Israeli travelers ahead of the holidays. The airport’s busiest hours generally fall in the afternoon and evening, with significant delays also recorded at 19:00 (96 minutes) and 12:00 (89 minutes). Conversely, the quietest times are during the night and early morning, especially at 01:00 when average delays are only 37 minutes, and at 05:00 with 42 minutes delay.
Looking at a broader three-month period, the pattern remains similar but with slightly reduced delays; 05:00 remains the best time to fly with a 36-minute average delay, while 14:00 still shows the longest delays at 81 minutes. Travelers are advised to consider these timings when planning flights.
Destination choice also impacts delay likelihood. Over the past 28 days, flights to Addis Ababa, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Los Angeles, and Newark experienced the shortest delays, averaging around 31 to 39 minutes. In contrast, flights to Sochi and Bergamo faced extreme delays of 258 and 183 minutes respectively, with several Greek destinations also suffering from heavy delays due to high tourist volumes and operational issues.
Regarding airlines, those with fewer flights tend to have better punctuality. China Eastern and SriLankan Airlines led with an average delay of 24 minutes, followed by Air Canada and Ethiopian Airlines. On the other hand, Russian Red Wings had the longest average delay at 155 minutes, with other delayed carriers including Blue Bird and Tus Airways, mostly affected by operational challenges in their home countries.
Weekly trends show Thursday and Friday as the worst days to fly, with average delays of 91 minutes, while Tuesday is the calmest day with only 49 minutes delay. Yearly data confirms Thursday as the busiest day with 55 minutes average delay, and Saturday as the quietest with 34 minutes. Overall, only 12% of flights departed on time in the last month, prompting authorities to recommend arriving three hours before departure and preparing for delays.
"The ideal time to fly from Ben Gurion is Tuesday at 01:00 AM," the report concludes, emphasizing patience amid ongoing operational challenges at Israel’s main international airport.
