American fuel tankers at Ben Gurion Airport to be transferred
Transportation Minister Regev clarified that the number of refueling aircraft parked at the airport will be reduced to 20, as previously agreed
Minister of Transport Miri Regev clarified Wednesday that the saga of the American refueling aircraft has ended, and following the cabinet’s decision, the number of refueling planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport will be reduced to 20 as agreed. It should be noted that the remaining refueling planes will be parked at IDF bases allocated by the Ministry of Defense.
According to the Ministry of Transport's statement, "The move is intended to allow the continued operational activity, while maintaining the continuity of civil aviation and preventing flight cancellations as much as possible, for the benefit of the citizens of Israel."
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Transport instructed the Airports Authority to issue a directive to Israeli air traffic control stating that “no additional American refueling planes are to be permitted to land at Ben Gurion Airport.” However, despite the agreement with the United States to evacuate refueling planes from Ben Gurion, the number increased, and there was real concern that thousands of flight tickets would be canceled in the summer.
Last month, i24NEWS reported that the United States military began reducing the presence of its refueling planes at Ben Gurion Airport following an official request from Israel, in order to increase the capacity for civilian aircraft ahead of the upcoming summer vacations. The refueling planes were planned to move to other bases in the Middle East, and not to be withdrawn from force deployment.