Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv handled a total of 18.4 million passengers in 2025. This figure comes from the latest annual data released by the Israel Airports Authority (IAA). Compared with the previous year, this represents a 33 percent increase and demonstrates that air traffic to Israel has recovered significantly after two difficult years. Even so, it has not yet returned to pre-war levels.
According to the IAA, approximately 60 foreign airlines operated flights to Ben-Gurion Airport during the year. Before the war, the number was around 80. At the same time, the upward trend continues: the Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air plans to open its own hub in Israel in the spring.
Overall, the airport authority recorded 134,000 departures from Israel – a 32 percent increase compared with 2024. More than half of the passengers, 58 percent, flew with Israeli carriers. Market leader remains El Al, which accounted for 38 percent of total passenger traffic.
In terms of outbound destinations, Greece topped the list with 2.2 million passengers. This was followed by the United States with 1.6 million travelers, the United Arab Emirates with 1.5 million, and Italy and Cyprus with 1.2 million passengers each. Notably, the Emirates played a key role: FlyDubai maintained near-continuous operations to Israel with up to ten daily flights – an exception among international airlines during the war.
The significant expansion of flight capacity, especially in the fall, eventually also affected ticket prices. After airfares had remained high for an extended period, the additional capacity led to the first noticeable relief for travelers.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev described the figures as a positive signal. “The year 2025 shows that the Israeli aviation industry can survive and grow even under difficult conditions,” she stated.
Sharon Kedmi, Director General of the Israel Airports Authority, also drew a positive balance. The current data clearly indicate Israel’s return to international air traffic.
The airport authority is optimistic about the coming year: in 2026, around 22 million passengers are expected to travel through Ben-Gurion Airport.
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