The US military has decided to freeze the evacuation of American refueling planes from Ben Gurion Airport.
According to a report this morning (Tuesday) on Channel 12, Airports Authority Director General Sharon Kedmi sent an urgent letter to the Director General of the Ministry of Transportation, warning that the decision could lead to the cancellation of approximately 50,000 flight tickets by the end of July.
According to the letter, not only have the planes not been evacuated so far - but 4 more have been deployed.
The Director General of the Ministry of Transportation conveyed the message: The Minister of Transportation does not approve the landing of additional American tankers at Ben Gurion Airport, because "civilians cannot be harmed, the Ministry of Defense must find solutions.".
In the letter, CEO Kedmi warns: "This development has immediate and serious operational significance. Unless the agreed evacuation plan is renewed immediately, starting July 23, a significant shortage of parking spaces for passenger aircraft is expected at Ben Gurion Airport, which will require the Airports Authority to order the cancellation of approximately 10 flights a day.".
""This means a loss of approximately 50,000 airline tickets per month, with all the attendant consequences for the traveling public, airlines, economic activity, and the reputation of the State of Israel and Ben-Gurion Airport as a reliable aviation destination.".
The CEO signed the letter with an urgent request: "We request in every possible way to act urgently to continue implementing the agreed-upon outline and complete the evacuation of the aircraft in accordance with the commitments made, in order to prevent the heavy operational and public consequences that are expected to occur in the coming days. Without the evacuation of the parking spaces for the benefit of civil aviation, there will be no escape from taking significant operational steps, including flight cancellations.".
At the end of May, Transportation Minister Miri Regev sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which she warned about the situation at Ben Gurion Airport due to the refuelers stationed in the parking lots. "The civil aviation industry is de facto under operational lockdown. Parking spaces are occupied, allocation keys for Israeli companies have been drastically cut, and the airport's capacity is significantly lower than national needs.".
The Ministry of Transportation believes that the refueling planes can be transferred to Air Force bases without harming operational activity or coordinating with the Americans. "The Air Force's extensive base deployment allows for a distributed reception of the aircraft," Regev wrote, adding that this is the "only realistic solution" that will prevent long-term economic and strategic damage.
