The presence of US military aircraft at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport has caused the Airports Authority 700 million shekels ($248 million) in losses over the past two months, Israeli officials said Thursday, warning that the figure could reach billions if the situation continues, Anadolu reports.

Israel Airports Authority Director General Sharon Kedmi has said that Ben Gurion Airport is currently operating. with only a third of its capacity due to the presence of American refueling planes, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

“We are only using a third of the operational capacity of the airport,” Kedmi said, adding that about 70 percent of the activity at the airport has been limited due to the space and resources occupied by American military operations.

“We are at the limit of our capabilities,” he declared, warning that në ditët në vijim do të shpallen anulime të tjera fluturimesh. Kedmi warned that the losses could reach billions if the current conditions continue.

He added that the airport authorities had expected that this year in “Ben Gurion” the number of passengers would exceed 18 million, but current estimates show that the number may not exceed 15 million. According to him, foreign airlines are not expected to resume operations soon, while up to three million passengers could be affected by disruptions and cancellations.

Dozens of American tanker planes are currently at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international gateway near Tel Aviv.

Earlier this month, Israeli media quoted the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Shmuel Zakay, as saying that American military aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport Gurion” are paralyzing civilian flights, delaying the return of foreign airlines and raising ticket prices.

Zakay was also quoted as telling Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev that Ben Gurion has “turned into a military airport with limited civilian activity”, warning that the situation is hurting domestic airlines.

Source: prizrenpost