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aviation

Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, October 4, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 10, 2026, 9:58 am
Israeli airline said to have begun background checks on crews of leased foreign planes
Unnamed carrier reportedly hires tech company to screen social media of foreign crew on leased planes; airlines said unwilling to wait for decision by Transportation Ministry, Mossad, Shin Bet
By ToI Staff
Travelers disembark an Electra plane at Ben Gurion International Airport. September 8, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 7, 2026, 4:25 pm
Israeli airlines often lease foreign planes and crew, while leaving extra security behind
Loophole means passengers who think they are flying with an Israeli carrier can end up on another company’s plane, with no special screenings of pilots or stringent procedures meant to avoid situation like the flydubai attack
By Sharon Wrobel
Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 walk through the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion International Airport, after their original flight from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a terror attack by the copilot, who attacked the captain and tried to crash the plane, September 30, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 4, 2026, 9:41 pm
Security hurdles slow airlines’ effort to bring stranded Israelis home from Dubai
Air bridge is delayed as heightened security demands following the flydubai terror attack force checked luggage onto separate planes from passenger flights
By Sharon Wrobel
A banner depicting a clenched fist of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with writing that reads in Farsi: 'We must rise,' and a phrase from Islam’s holy book the Quran: 'Stand up for the sake of Allah,' at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iran, September 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
September 23, 2026, 8:58 pm
Iran threatens neighbors’ airports if they cooperate with US flight sanctions
Georgia, Azerbaijan halt Iranian flights as US sanctions take effect; China calls measures ‘illegal,’ while some Turkey routes remain open
By Agencies
Thousands of passengers wait at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv after operations shut down on August 20, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
August 30, 2026, 5:00 pm
Airport meltdown gives rise to worries that Ben Gurion overcrowding may be terminal
After years of political inertia, Israel’s main gateway may soon be regularly brought to its knees by inability to cope with growing passenger numbers; experts say a second airport is needed to avert crisis
By Sharon Wrobel
A Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX takes off from Lisbon airport, January 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
July 10, 2026, 10:44 pm
Man nearly sucked out of ‘detached’ window on Ryanair flight from Greece
Serbian tourist suffers friction burns after head and shoulders exit airplane mid-air when engine debris strikes window, is held in by other passengers; ‘fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt’
By AFP
Israeli F-16 fighter jets fly over a beach in Tel Aviv during the annual Independence Day flyover, May 5, 2022. (Jack Guez/AFP)
June 30, 2026, 10:08 pm
IDF scrambles fighter jets after hijacking false alarm; flight lands safely in Bulgaria
LOT Polish Airlines flight, operated by Electra Airways, sends mistaken alert over Turkey, drawing Israeli and Bulgarian military planes; airline blames transponder malfunction
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
US Air Force refueling aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
June 24, 2026, 9:05 pm
Reduced US refuelers at Ben Gurion still put flights of 100,000 summer travelers at risk
Aviation officials demand removal of at least 15 more US tankers crowding out civilian planes at Israel’s main airport, ahead of peak July-August travel season
By Sharon Wrobel
A US Air Force aircraft takes off at the Ben Gurion International Airport, May 24, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
June 16, 2026, 9:04 pm
US said moving 20% of its refuelers from Ben Gurion Airport, easing travel pressure
Presence of 72 American aircraft in recent months is crowding out civilian planes at Tel Aviv’s international airport, threatening to ground 2.4 million summer travelers
By Sharon Wrobel
US Air Force refueling aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
June 14, 2026, 5:01 pm
US refuelers at Ben Gurion could ground 2.4 million summer travelers, Regev warns
Transportation minister appeals to Netanyahu to help relocate at least 30 of the 72 American aircraft that are crowding out civilian planes at Tel Aviv’s international airport
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: A Lufthansa aircraft approaches the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, April 28, 2026. (Michael Probst/AP)
April 29, 2026, 11:26 am
European airlines face biggest crisis since COVID as Iran war drives up fuel costs
Aviation experts warn European carriers may begin rationing jet fuel supplies during summer holiday season, after prices surged nearly 84 percent since start of war
By Joanna Plucinska and Alessandro Parodi
Travelers are seen at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, April 23, 2026. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)
April 24, 2026, 7:31 pm
EU agency extends warning on flights to Mideast, including Israel, through May 1
Still too soon to say if extension of Iran truce will lead to ‘sustained reduction of risk to civil aviation,’ safety agency says, amid faltering efforts for permanent ceasefire
By Sharon Wrobel and ToI Staff
An Air Haifa airplane lands at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, March 5, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/ Flash90)
April 8, 2026, 7:24 pm
Ben Gurion Airport fully reopening as Israel lifts flight restrictions after ceasefire
El Al, Israir, and Arkia prepare for gradual expansion of flight operations but foreign carriers likely to remain grounded until more clarity is given on whether 2-week truce holds
By Sharon Wrobel and ToI Staff
Illustrative: A Wizz Air jet comes in to land at Gatwick Airport, south of London, on June 10, 2022. (Ben Stansall / AFP)
March 17, 2026, 12:38 pm
Low-cost Wizz Air nixes Tel Aviv flights till April 7, setting back Israel hub plans
British Airways extends its own cancellation of service through June 1, as Israel’s airspace remains shut for foreign airlines amid the ongoing Iran war
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: The empty departure hall at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv after Israel closed its airspace to takeoff and landing following strikes on Iran, June 13, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
March 1, 2026, 11:41 pm
With Israel’s airspace shut, Arkia starts flying homeward-bound Israelis to Egyptian border
Amid uncertainty regarding when flights will resume, land border crossing and maritime travel routes can help stranded Israelis and travelers get in and out, at a high cost
By Sharon Wrobel
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