More than 85,000 passengers were traveling through Ben-Gurion International Airport on 500 international flights on Thursday, the highest single-day figure since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Israel Airports Authority.
The numbers highlight both the resurgence of the Israeli aviation sector and the reemergence of Tel Aviv as a travel hub, even before all leading international carriers have resumed flights to Israel.
Some 43,700 travelers were departing Israel on Thursday, while over 42,000 others were arriving.
Most flights operating to and from Tel Aviv in August have been sold out due to reduced availability and high seasonal demand, sending airfares soaring during the peak summer travel month.
Many international airlines, led by Fly Dubai, Air France, Air Europa and United Airlines, have renewed service to Tel Aviv during the busy summer travel season.
Other international carriers plan to resume service to Israel later in the year, including Delta Air Lines, which is set to restart flights next month, while Italy’s ITA Airways, British Airways and Irish budget carrier Ryanair are scheduled to resume operations in October.
The airport saw over 100,000 daily passengers in August 2019—the peak year for tourism in Israel—but numbers fell off sharply over the next two summers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
