About half of the US aerial refueling aircraft currently stationed at Ben Gurion Airport will be moved to Israeli Air Force bases, in a bid to reduce the risk of flight cancellations this summer, according to Israeli media reports.
The Israeli Air Force is relocating roughly half of the American refueling tankers currently parked at Ben Gurion Airport to its own airbases, according to Israeli media reports. The move is intended to reduce congestion at Israel's main international gateway and lower the risk of summer flight cancellations, which had been flagged by airport officials as a growing concern.
As The Zioneer reported on June 11, Israel Airports Authority director-general Sharon Kedmi warned that one in four summer passengers could face cancellations unless the situation changed. The presence of US tankers at the airport, amid heightened regional tensions following the Iran escalation, had strained civilian operations.
The relocation comes after Transportation Minister Miri Regev called for the removal of the US aircraft from Israeli airports, escalating a public rift with the Trump administration. The Pentagon has not officially commented on the transfer plan.
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