Ben Gurion Airport is facing congestion during the height of the summer travel season, with nearly 100,000 passengers and more than 500 flights passing through daily. According to an analysis of 3,499 flights by the TLVFLIGHT system between July 20 and July 27, only 31% departed on time, while 83 flights were canceled entirely during the week.
Flight Delays and Cancellations at Ben Gurion Airport
The scale of the disruption at Ben Gurion Airport between July 20 and July 27 affected thousands of travelers, according to TLVFLIGHT system data. Out of 3,499 operated flights, only 1,089 took off at their originally scheduled time. Another 709 flights departed between 30 minutes and one hour late, 479 flights were delayed by one to two hours, and 363 flights departed two hours late or more. In addition to these delays, 83 flights were canceled completely.
The average delay at the airport over the past week reached 40 minutes. The most congested hour of the day was 2 p.m., when the average delay spiked to 83 minutes. Among carriers, Blue Bird Airways recorded the longest average delay at 99 minutes, followed by Cyprus-based TUS Airways with an average delay of 82 minutes and Lufthansa with 79 minutes, according to the data.
Local and European Factors Driving Aviation Chaos
The current disruption stems from a combination of local constraints and European technical failures. Ben Gurion Airport is currently hosting 33 refueling aircraft from the U.S. military fleet, which occupy parking spaces and account for frequent takeoffs and landings. According to the Israel Airports Authority, the planned departure of these military aircraft on July 21 was postponed due to a security escalation, placing continuous heavy pressure on the airport schedule.
This local congestion has been compounded by a serious failure affecting radar systems and air traffic control equipment in Athens and the Sitia and Kavros regions of Greece. The malfunction triggered a chain of delays across the Mediterranean, directly impacting busy airports in Paris, Madrid, Berlin, and Zagreb.
Blue Bird Deputy CEO Amit Sagi explained that a significant portion of the delays originated from exceptional congestion in Greek airspace and at Greek airports, which make up a major share of the airline’s summer operations. “These conditions affect takeoff and landing times and sometimes cause delays to the aircraft’s subsequent flights as well,” Sagi said, adding that the airline works to update passengers and provide assistance.
Arkia attributed the disruptions to airspace and airport congestion, ground-services staffing shortages, and isolated operational disruptions. “We are working around the clock to minimize the impact, keep passengers informed and restore the schedule as quickly as possible,” Arkia stated, noting that every technical issue must be addressed without compromising safety.
Passenger Impact and Airline Responses
Travelers have encountered hours of discomfort, uncertainty, and repeated schedule changes across international and domestic routes. Yael, a passenger traveling with her family from Heraklion, Crete, to Tel Aviv on an Arkia flight scheduled for 6 p.m., reported that passengers had to remain aboard the aircraft for more than 90 minutes before takeoff.
A similar situation occurred on a Wizz Air flight to Rome. Tamar, a passenger scheduled to depart at 10:55 a.m. last Friday, stated that after all passengers boarded, the captain announced that unusually heavy congestion over Greece required a route change, delaying takeoff by nearly an hour.
Arkia passengers flying to multiple destinations on Friday afternoon faced repeated postponements that culminated in a major scheduling hurdle. Ben Gurion Airport closed for several hours that evening for scheduled routine runway maintenance, forcing families with young children and other travelers to wait inside the terminal until the facility reopened at 11 p.m. Passengers complained that no company representative was present to assist or explain the situation. Beyond its legal obligations, Arkia decided to compensate each affected passenger with a $250 voucher for future flights.
Domestic routes experienced similar setbacks. Passengers booked on an Israir flight from Eilat to Tel Aviv at 6:15 p.m. received notice of a delay the previous day, and upon arriving at Ramon Airport, were informed of a further postponement pushing departure to 10 p.m.—nearly four hours behind schedule. Israir stated that passengers on Sunday’s Eilat flight were notified prior to arriving at the airport and that the actual delay was about two and a half hours, in compliance with legal notification requirements.