Israel’s largest airport remains open despite Iranian missile attacks

Israeli air authorities mull limiting air travel as tensions heat up with Iran and Hezbollah.

By World Israel News Staff

Ben Gurion International Airport remained open Monday despite renewed Iranian missile attacks on Israel, but transportation and security officials were weighing new limits on passenger traffic and departures as the country moved back toward emergency footing.

Israeli aviation officials said there was no current decision to close Israeli airspace and no specific assessment that Ben Gurion Airport would shut down.

Israel Hayom reported that Transportation Minister Miri Regev held a situation assessment with professional officials amid concern that the latest confrontation with Iran could disrupt civilian aviation.

“Contrary to reports, as of now there is no closure of Israeli airspace,” the outlet reported, citing information from aviation officials.

The assessment late Sunday was that even if missiles were launched toward central Israel, the airport would most likely pause takeoffs and landings during sirens and then resume operations afterward, rather than close for a prolonged period.

Officials stressed, however, that the situation remained fluid and could change quickly depending on developments.

By Monday morning, authorities were discussing more restrictive measures.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Ben Gurion Airport was still operating, but officials expected to reduce the number of passengers and outbound flights following renewed Iranian fire.

According to the report, Home Front Command sought to cut the number of passengers at the airport to around 2,500, while the Transportation Ministry was pushing for a higher cap of 5,000. The airport was operating normally until further notice, but restrictions could be adjusted as the security situation developed.

Haifa Airport was also operating as usual, according to the Jerusalem Post. Air Haifa continued flying Israeli passengers to destinations including Larnaca, Mykonos, Paphos and Athens.

El Al said passengers with tickets for flights scheduled through June 13 could postpone their flights free of charge or receive a voucher for future travel, giving travelers more flexibility as the security situation remained uncertain.

The Tourism Ministry also opened an emergency operations center after a situational assessment led by Director-General Michael Itzhakov.

The center is intended to coordinate the relocation of residents to hotels if homes are damaged by missile strikes. The ministry said 27,165 tourists who entered Israel over the past 30 days were currently in the country.