Ben-Gurion’s Terminal 1 reopens to domestic flights following Iran war closure

Terminal 1 was initially closed in March following the outbreak of the Iran war, with all flights moved to Terminal 3.

Ben-Gurion Airport’s Terminal 1 reopened to domestic flights on Sunday, according to the Israel Airports Authority (IAA), which announced the terminal’s renewed operations on Wednesday.

The IAA added that international flights would begin operating from the terminal starting July 1, in time for the school holiday travel rush.

Prior to the closure, international flights from the terminal were primarily operated by budget airlines, which preferred it to Terminal 3 due to its higher usage fees.

Terminal 1 was initially closed in March following the outbreak of the Iran war, with all flights moved to Terminal 3.

The terminal’s reopening follows an announcement that US Air Force refueling aircraft stationed at Ben-Gurion are set to be relocated due to the constraints their presence places on the airport’s capacity.

IAF bases to host USAF refueling aircraft

According to Maariv, the USAF aircraft will be moved to Israel Air Force bases, with IAF aircraft themselves being moved to other bases to make room for the refuelers.

National Security Council Director Shmuel Ben-Ezra is overseeing the relocation operation, which follows comments by IAA Director General Sharon Kedmi in May that Ben-Gurion is operating at one-third capacity.

“We are at the limit of our capabilities,” Ben-Ezra told KAN’s Reshet Bet radio station, emphasizing the NIS 700 million loss already suffered by the IAA.

Anna Barsky and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.