Deal Taking Shape to Move U.S. Refueling Aircraft Out of Ben Gurion Airport

A solution appears to be emerging for the aviation disruption caused by 74 American refueling aircraft parked at Ben Gurion Airport. According to the plan now taking shape, 20 of the aircraft will be moved in the coming days to various Israeli Air Force bases across the country, and about 37 more will be relocated by the beginning of July, which would help restore normal flight operations for the summer.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Israel Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kadmi have been pressing the government to demand that the United States remove the refueling planes from Ben Gurion. On Monday night, Regev urgently appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking that the aircraft be removed before June 16. She warned that without action, foreign airlines could begin canceling flights because they would not be able to land in Israel, and estimated that about 2.4 million passengers could receive cancellation notices this summer.

Regev also said the flights to Uman could be affected and even canceled. Later in the evening, she said Netanyahu had instructed National Security Council chief Shmuel Ben Ezra and all other officials handling the issue to act to prevent flight cancellations during the summer months. The National Security Council said it had committed that no commercial flight would be canceled because of the refueling aircraft.

The urgency stems from the fact that on June 16 the Airports Authority must update foreign airlines on their takeoff and landing slots for July and August, so they can make weekly changes in advance and avoid compensation payments under the Tibi Law, which requires 14 days' notice for any change or cancellation. The Airports Authority says the aircraft, which were at Ben Gurion at the start of the week, make normal summer operations impossible because they add heavy ground and air congestion during days when more than 70,000 people pass through the airport.