Chaos at Ben-Gurion — only the beginning: it will get worse
An analytical piece from The Marker warns that the recent disruption at Ben-Gurion Airport is merely a harbinger of a larger crisis. The airport is approaching its capacity limit, and construction of an alternative airport is delayed. It is expected that by 2034, Ben-Gurion's resources will be exhausted, leading to multi-hour queues, flight cancellations, and rising ticket prices.
An analytical article from The Marker, as summarized by Cursorinfo, warns that the recent transport collapse at Ben-Gurion Airport is merely a harbinger of a larger crisis. The disruption last week practically shut down the country's main airport for nearly a day, causing flight cancellations. However, according to the publication, this is just a warning of significantly more serious problems. Israel is critically dependent on Ben-Gurion as its main international air gateway, yet its capacity is not unlimited. Authorities plan to expand capacity to about 40 million passengers per year, but according to estimates, this resource will only last until 2034. After that, further growth in passenger traffic will become a serious problem, potentially leading to increased waiting times and higher ticket prices. A solution could be the construction of a second major international airport, but the project has not yet received the necessary advancement in the Knesset. Building a new airport could take 10 to 15 years, making it extremely difficult to complete before 2034. The problem is not new: as early as 2016, a report was prepared analyzing potential sites, with Ramat David being the preferred option, yet over the following decade the project was not realized. The Marker warns that the consequences could extend far beyond the tourism industry, impacting business activity, investment, and Israel's connections with the outside world.