Transport Minister Pushes for Removal of U.S. Refueling Aircraft From Ben Gurion Before June 16

Transport Minister Miri Regev has urgently asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to clear American refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport by June 16, warning that otherwise foreign airlines could cancel summer flights without paying compensation under Israel’s Aviation Services Law, known as the Tibi Law. The law exempts airlines from compensation if cancellations are announced at least two weeks in advance. Ben Gurion Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kadmi warned that 2.4 million passengers could receive cancellation notices.

In her letter, Regev said the move would cause direct economic damage worth billions of shekels to airlines, tourism, and the broader economy, and would hurt Israel’s aviation reliability. She said it could drive away foreign carriers that recently resumed flights after the ceasefire and damage national morale and civilian resilience. Regev also wrote that if half of the refueling aircraft are not removed by Tuesday, June 16, 2026, more than two million Israelis could be told their summer flights are canceled, including Breslov Hasidim traveling to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

The June 16 deadline matters because that is when the Airports Authority gives airlines their slot allocations for takeoff and landing, allowing carriers to decide which routes to add or expand for the summer peak. Since airlines plan well ahead, the schedules for July and August are usually set together, and a cancellation notice on June 16 would allow carriers to void those flights without compensation.

The Airports Authority is seeking the removal of at least 30 of the 74 American refueling aircraft currently parked at Ben Gurion. Regev said about 72 refuelers are taking up more than half of the parking capacity at Ben Gurion, while about 26 are parked at Ramon Airport and occupy around 90% of the stands there. She also said none are stationed at Air Force bases. The authority has so far balanced civilian and military aircraft, with Israeli airlines bearing most of the burden by parking many of their planes abroad.

Regev said the aircraft are also disrupting operations in the air, because during Ben Gurion’s busiest hours, the need to land or take off a refueling plane can slow the entire airport. She said the delay may be about half an hour in March or May, but in July and August it could stretch into hours and trigger cascading disruptions affecting hundreds of flights. With the U.S.-Iran negotiations still unsettled, airlines do not want to wait, and if they do not get their summer slots, the June 16 notices could destabilize Israeli aviation and sharply raise ticket prices for the remaining flights.