The US has frozen the evacuation of its refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport, and Transport Minister Miri Regev has refused to authorize additional American refuelers to land, according to reports. The combined measures put up to 50,000 flight tickets through the end of July at risk, airport officials warn.
The freeze on the evacuation of US refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport remains in effect as of Tuesday morning, and Transport Minister Miri Regev has officially refused to authorize any additional American refuelers to land, airport officials warn. The combined measures put up to 50,000 flight tickets through the end of July at immediate risk, according to the Israel Airports Authority.
The Zioneer reported the sequence of events Tuesday morning: at 10:24, initial reports that the US had canceled the evacuation were quickly corrected to a freeze, with the US military deciding to halt rather than cancel the withdrawal. Minutes earlier, at 10:23, the Transport Ministry had already conveyed that Minister Regev would not authorize additional US refuelers, stating that civilian aviation cannot be harmed and that the Defense Ministry must find solutions. By 10:24, details emerged that 33 US refueling aircraft remained on the tarmac — 13 more than the 20 agreed upon — raising fears of thousands of summer ticket cancellations. Later Tuesday, at 11:21, journalist Einav Kerner warned of an immediate risk of tens of thousands of cancellations, and at 11:46, the freeze was confirmed to threaten the summer schedule. The airport authority director-general had warned at 13:07 that 100,000 July passenger tickets could be canceled, but noted that some US refuelers had begun departing; the current freeze appears to have halted that process.
The crisis stems from a weeks-long fuel-truck shortage at Ben Gurion, which The Zioneer first reported on June 16, when the airport chief warned that 100,000 July tickets were at risk. The US military had been evacuating its aircraft amid the escalation with Iran, but the process was frozen. On July 8, Minister Regev stated that the airport was operating in full routine and that US refuelers were not returning and continued to be evacuated, a position now contradicted by the official blocking of additional landings.
It remains unclear whether the freeze will be lifted, whether the minister will change her position, or how the airport authority will manage the fuel-truck shortage with the US refuelers still parked. The authority has warned of immediate operational consequences if the deadlock continues.
7 developments
- StrongUS refueling tankers at Ben Gurion Airport amid ongoing fuel crisis
- DevelopingAerial refueling aircraft performs emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport
- DevelopingAdditional US refueling tankers land at Ben Gurion Airport from the Gulf
- DevelopingSolution found for aircraft parking shortage at Ben Gurion Airport
Source and signal
- Internal intake