At least 500 summer flights are at risk of cancellation because only a small fraction of US military refueling aircraft have actually left Ben Gurion Airport, Einav Kerner, the head of the airport workers' union, said Monday. Kerner's claim contradicts earlier official statements suggesting the congestion was easing, and underscores the unresolved fuel-truck shortage.
A senior airport official has cast doubt on claims that the aircraft-congestion crisis at Ben Gurion Airport is easing. Einav Kerner, head of the airport workers' union, said Monday that despite public statements about the departure of US military refueling planes, at most ten such aircraft have actually left the airport. He warned that 500 summer flights are at risk of cancellation as a result.
Kerner's remarks come after weeks of rising tensions over the presence of dozens of US Air Force tankers that began parking at Ben Gurion in late spring as part of a logistical operation. The aircraft have occupied parking aprons needed by Israeli airlines and fuel trucks, creating a shortage of refueling capacity that has already forced the cancellation of some flights. Official estimates on the number of aircraft still on site have varied: as The Zioneer reported on June 16 and June 21, more than a third of the aircraft were said to have departed by June 21. Kerner's figure suggests the actual departure rate is far lower.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev has called for the US to remove the aircraft entirely, while airport management and the Israel Airports Authority have pleaded for a faster solution. No new official statement from the IAA or the Defense Ministry was available at time of drafting.
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