Major delays reported at Ben Gurion Airport; officials say US refuelers’ presence a factor

Airports Authority also blames flight congestion over Greece for bottleneck, leading many passengers to report hours-long setbacks

Significant delays were reported at Ben Gurion Airport on Friday, with passengers reporting hours-long setbacks.

Passengers reported that some departing flights were not taking off after boarding, due to luggage not being loaded onto the aircraft. In other cases arrivals were waiting long hours for their suitcases at baggage claim. Yet other cases were reported in which flight departures to Israel were delayed, with passengers told congestion at Ben Gurion was to blame.

In a statement, the Israel Airports Authority blamed a confluence of factors, including the ongoing presence of American refueling tankers at the airport.

In a statement, the IAA said that it experienced a crunch of 90 flights in a three-hour period driven by the high volume of summer flight traffic, coupled with traffic congestion over Greece — the main flight route from Israel to Europe — and the limitations brought on by the many US refueling planes parked at the airport due to the conflict with Iran.

“When a large number of flights arrive in close proximity, a lower availability of parking spaces reduces operational flexibility and increases pressure on ground systems,” the IAA said, denying reports that a shortage of workers was causing delays.

The IAA said the surge in activity — with more than 90,000 passengers slated to pass through the airport Friday — led to delays, including a slowdown in the onloading and offloading of luggage and “the entire handling chain.”

The ongoing presence of US tankers at Ben Gurion Airport has been a point of contention, and Transportation Minister Miri Regev vowed last month that only 20 would be allowed at the airport at any given time, with the rest redirected to military bases around the country.

It was not immediately clear if the limit of 20 tankers has been enforced at Ben Gurion Airport, amid US pressure to allow more to stay on the ground there.