Transportation Ministry Director-General Moshe Ben-Zaken said Tuesday that Minister Miri Regev has instructed that no civilian flights at Ben Gurion Airport be harmed and that no tickets for Israeli citizens will be canceled. Speaking to Galei Tzahal (Army Radio), he said the Defense Ministry is being asked to find a solution for the US refueling aircraft occupying parking stands, as about 90,000 passengers pass through the airport daily during the summer.
Transportation Ministry Director-General Moshe Ben-Zaken said Tuesday afternoon that Minister Miri Regev has ordered that civilian flights at Ben Gurion Airport not be disrupted and that no tickets for Israeli citizens will be canceled due to the presence of US refueling aircraft. Speaking to Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) shortly before 14:00 Jerusalem time, Ben-Zaken said the Defense Ministry is being asked to find a solution for the tankers, which occupy parking stands at the airport. He noted that during the summer months, about 90,000 passengers pass through Ben Gurion daily, making the preservation of flight continuity a national mission.
This is the first on-record statement from a senior ministry official since Regev herself told N12 at 13:36 that she would not cancel a single ticket. The thread began at 13:36 with a Transport Ministry official (also speaking to N12) blaming the Defense Ministry for failing to prepare for the return of fuel-truck operators, with only about 30 refuelers at the airport. The story's corroboration has evolved from an unnamed official to an on-record minister and now to the director-general publicly detailing the operational directive and the division of responsibility.
As The Zioneer reported at 14:12, Washington has frozen the withdrawal of its aerial refueling fleet from Ben Gurion, with four additional tankers arriving as strikes against Iran intensify. Aviation officials warned the deployment could force daily flight cancellations during peak summer season, risking 50,000 tickets. The issue has been tracked for weeks: Regev said on June 10 that the US was 'taking parking space' rather than attacking Iran; by June 15 she ordered the Israel Airports Authority not to cancel flights, citing a pending solution; and on June 26 she said the US had pledged to remove about 20 refueling aircraft by Tuesday.
The Defense Ministry has not yet publicly responded to the request to find a solution for the tankers, and it remains unclear whether the US commitment to withdraw aircraft by Tuesday — reported by Regev on June 26 — has been fully implemented. About 90,000 passengers continue to pass through the airport daily.
4 developments
- DevelopingRegev: Ben Gurion operating normally, US refuelers not returning amid evacuation
- DevelopingFuel-truck crisis at Ben Gurion Airport resolved, no flight cancellations expected
- StrongRegev orders IAA not to cancel summer flights, citing pending solution
- StrongMinister Regev criticizes Trump: 'Doesn't strike Iran but takes our parking at Ben Gurion'
Source and signal
- Internal intake