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Ben Gurion Airport Parking Lots Full as Holiday Travel Peaks
By Drooid · · How we work
Parking Lots Reach Full Capacity Amid Holiday Surge
The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) announced that all short-term and long-term parking facilities at Ben Gurion Airport are at full capacity and will remain unavailable “until further notice.” The authority urged travelers and their companions to avoid arriving by private car and to use public transportation instead.
Holiday Travel Spike and Recent Disruptions
The parking crunch follows a surge in passenger volume during the Tishrei holidays. The IAA reported that about 1.3 million passengers were expected to pass through the airport between the end of Yom Kippur and the conclusion of Sukkot, with daily totals exceeding 90,000 during the Sukkot period. A separate IAA estimate placed the total holiday-season traffic at 2.5 million people.
The situation arrives just a month after a wildcat strike on August 20, 2026 that halted check-in and baggage handling, caused extensive flight delays, and was reported to have caused damage estimated at NIS 25-30 million. Earlier in August, the IAA noted that around 101,000 passengers had passed through the airport on a single day, prompting a temporary “Kerem” and “Pardes” parking overflow.
Impact on Flights and Ground Transportation
Over the past seven days, the IAA said the average departure delay was 63 minutes, with only 16 % of flights departing on time; arrival delays averaged 50 minutes. Airlines with the longest delays included TUS Airways (138 minutes), BlueBird (133 minutes), and Arkia (76 minutes).
Public-transport alternatives are limited. Train service to the airport is suspended on weekends and holidays, and during Rosh Hashanah trains ran only between Herzliya and Jerusalem. The Egged 485 bus line operates 24 hours between Tel Aviv’s Central Bus Station and the airport, but serves a single route. Taxi availability has been strained, with reports of long queues and confrontations.
Authority Response and Recommendations
In its statement, the IAA apologized for the inconvenience, thanked travelers for their understanding, and pledged to provide updates if conditions change. It warned that if the shortage persists through Shabbat—when buses and trains do not run—travelers may need to pay for taxis, with fares potentially exceeding 300 NIS (approximately $100) from outside central Israel.
The parking shortage underscores the combined pressure of seasonal travel peaks and recent labor disruptions on Israel’s primary international gateway.