Israel’s civil aviation sector is facing growing pressure as US military aircraft continue to occupy space at Ben Gurion Airport, raising concerns over reduced commercial flight capacity and higher ticket prices ahead of the summer travel season.
Civil Aviation Authority Director General Shmuel Zakai has warned senior officials that Israel’s main airport is increasingly operating as a hybrid civilian-military facility. In a letter to Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Zakai said the current arrangement is harming airlines and passengers.
According to Zakai, the defense establishment does not appear to fully grasp the scale of the damage being caused to civil aviation. He said reduced capacity is already affecting airfares for the Israeli public.
Israel immediately reopened its airspace following the announcement of the US-Iran ceasefire, and while Israeli carriers resumed operations, most foreign airlines have still not returned. European carriers have extended flights suspensions to Israel through May, while US airlines are not expected to return before September.
For now, even if those airlines did decide to return to Israel, there wouldn’t be space for them. Even Israeli airlines are being pushed out of their own home airport.
♟️ U.S. STRATEGIC MILITARY BUILDUP CONTINUES AROUND IRAN AS TRUMP SIGNALS BOTH PRESSURE AND A POSSIBLE DEAL
✈️ Ben Gurion International Airport is currently seeing heavy activity from U.S. Air Force aerial refueling aircraft. Dozens of U.S. tanker aircraft remain stationed at… pic.twitter.com/XltAacaIQi
— Israel Realtime (@IsraelRealtime) May 11, 2026
Aviation officials say at least 14 US military refueling aircraft are stationed at Ben Gurion, with additional American aircraft placed at Ovda Airbase in southern Israel. Israeli airlines argue that this has sharply reduced their ability to keep planes overnight in Israel. Israir, for instance, has 17 overnight airplane parking spaces at Ben Gurion Airport, but is presently only able to use four of them.
This means expensive workaround, like overnighting planes in Rome or other airports abroad, which has the effect of reducing available seats and pushing up prices, just as Israelis are preparing to travel for the summer holidays.
But is there a solution with the Iran war clearly not yet concluded?
Israel appreciates the partnership with the US, even when it means local inconveniences. But Zakai stressed that it would be more reasonable to move US military aircraft to dedicated military bases in Israel, and thus restore Ben Gurion’s full civilian capacity.
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