Amid escalation with Iran, US freezes removal of refueling tankers from Ben Gurion Airport, putting summer flights at risk

The US has frozen the removal of its refueling tankers from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport amid the mounting escalation with Iran, threatening flight cancellations for tens of thousands of passengers during the peak July travel month, according to the Israel Airports Authority.

The Israel Airports Authority warns that unless additional US aircraft will continue to be removed from the country’s main international air gateway, as many as 50,000 flight tickets could be at risk of cancellation.

Earlier this month, the US begun returning some of its military refueling planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport as tensions seemed to diminish upon the signing of a memorandum of understanding to permanently end the US-Israel war against Iran.

A fleet of about 75 US refuelers and cargo planes has parked at Ben Gurion Airport for long months, as part of the US military buildup in the region prior to the US-Israel war with Iran, which erupted on February 28 and led to the closure of Israel’s airspace. The US refuelers have been crowding out civilian planes at Israel’s main international airport.