The United States has decided to keep a large number of aerial refueling aircraft at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport amid the war in Iran, despite objections from Israeli officials who say the deployment could jeopardize 50,000 airline tickets during the country’s busy summer travel period.
More than 30 US refueling planes are reportedly positioned at the airport, even though the facility can handle only 20 such aircraft, leaving officials scrambling to preserve enough capacity for civilian flights.
Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev called the situation unacceptable and directed that the excess refuelers be removed so space can be freed for passengers.
“Hundreds of thousands of tickets were bought by Israelis to fly and enjoy their summer vacation,” Regev said. “We promised that we will enable commercial flights and we will not cancel a single ticket because of American refueling planes.
“Therefore, I have given instructions that we will not allow any US refueling tankers to land at Ben Gurion Airport beyond the agreed number of 20 planes, and the remaining planes can land at Israeli Air Force bases,” Regev added.
The US Defense Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The US previously sent roughly 75 refueling and cargo aircraft to Ben Gurion as part of a military buildup ahead of the war that began on Feb. 28.
Although Washington began relocating some of the aircraft earlier this month, renewed fighting with Iran has left more than 30 refuelers at the airport as Israel enters its peak summer travel season, according to the Times of Israel.
The military aircraft’s presence has kept the Ben Gurion Airport from returning to normal commercial flight operations, with local airlines warning that the increasing operational costs would see the expenses passed on to the travelers.
The issue comes as the war with Iran reignited last week, with Washington and Tehran trading blows in recent days over the Strait of Hormuz.
The US fired its latest wave of airstrikes on Tuesday, targeting military sites across Iran aimed at degrading the Islamic republic’s ability to attack shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
