US Military Aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport Cost Israel $248 Million in Two Months

TEL AVIV — The presence of American military tanker aircraft at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport has cost the Israel Airports Authority $248 million over the past two months, officials warned Thursday, adding that losses could escalate into the billions if the situation continues.
Sharon Kidmi, Director General of the Israel Airports Authority, said the airport is currently operating at only one-third of its capacity due to dozens of US military aircraft occupying a large portion of its facilities. Approximately 70 percent of the airport’s operations have been curtailed, she said, warning that further flight cancellations are likely in the coming days.
The airport had been projected to handle 18 million passengers this year, but that figure is now expected to fall below 15 million — leaving up to 3 million travellers affected. Foreign airlines have also been unable to resume services to Ben Gurion. The head of Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority previously stated that the airport has effectively “been converted into a military airbase with limited civilian flights.”
The situation stems from the joint US-Israel strike on Iran on February 28, which killed over 40 Iranian military and political leaders, including the Supreme Leader. Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on US installations and Israeli targets. While a temporary ceasefire is currently in place and negotiations are ongoing, the threat of renewed conflict remains — and Washington has pre-positioned military aircraft in Israel as part of contingency preparations.