Against All Odds: Inside Ben Gurion's Unexpected Passenger Surge
Ben Gurion Airport sees positive milestone despite stagnant recovery in international air traffic. Yet overall passenger traffic remains low due to continued cancellations and a lack of trust in returning foreign airlines. The recovery of the airport's passenger numbers is expected to take time, as travelers continue to favor Israeli airlines for their perceived stability.


Ben Gurion Airport recently saw a hopeful sign of recovery as passenger numbers surpassed 45,000, marking a significant achievement after nearly two months of reduced activity. However, despite this uptick, the number of travelers at the airport remains significantly lower than pre-conflict levels. Even with several foreign airlines resuming flights, including Air Europa, LOT, Bulgaria Air, Wizzair, Air France, Transavia, ITA Airways, and the Lufthansa Group, passenger traffic is still far from the bustling numbers seen before the war.
Today, approximately 36,600 passengers are expected to pass through Ben Gurion Airport, spread across 234 international flights. Of these, about 17,900 passengers will be departing, while roughly 18,700 will be arriving. While these numbers represent a positive trend, the fact remains that cancellations by foreign airlines continue to impact roughly 20,000 passengers and 100 flights daily.
This ongoing disruption highlights a key issue: the full recovery of air traffic will take time. The aviation industry is experiencing a slow but steady rebound, with many passengers purchasing tickets primarily through Israeli airlines, simply because these were the only options available during the period of flight cancellations. Consequently, there is now an oversupply of tickets with foreign airlines, which has caused a mismatch between supply and demand.
Additionally, many passengers are hesitant to book flights with the recently returned foreign carriers due to concerns about stability and reliability. This lack of trust in foreign airlines, combined with the still fluctuating nature of international travel, has resulted in flights that are neither as full nor as frequent as they were prior to the conflict.
Adding a glimmer of hope to the situation, American airline United Airlines has begun selling tickets for its New York-Tel Aviv route, with the first flight scheduled for March 15. This marks the return of another major international carrier to Israel, further indicating a gradual recovery in the aviation sector. However, the challenge remains: until passengers regain confidence in the consistency and stability of flight operations, the road to pre-war levels of air traffic will continue to be a slow one.