Congestion at Ben Gurion Airport: These Airlines Recorded Significant Delays - and When Is Best to Fly
Today, 90,000 passengers are expected to pass through Ben Gurion Airport, amid summer congestion and a radar malfunction in Greece. 167 flights took off late, 150 of them by more than 15 minutes. The most delayed airline is Blue Bird (average 99 minutes), and the most punctual is Azerbaijan Airlines (20 minutes). The recommended departure time is 05:00 (average delay 40 minutes).
A busy day at Ben Gurion Airport: 90,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport today (Sunday, July 26), with 288 takeoffs and 260 landings. Alongside summer congestion, a radar malfunction in Greece is disrupting flights in the Crete area and affecting Israel. Since midnight, 167 flights took off late, 150 of them by more than 15 minutes. 94 flights landed late, 68 by more than 15 minutes. Flights to Crete and Larnaca were delayed by about 3 hours; flights from Larnaca and Albania were delayed by 7 hours. Eight flights were canceled, mainly to Rome and Crete. In the past week, departures to Corfu (Greece) recorded an average delay of 113 minutes, while departures to Baku (Azerbaijan) were the most punctual (24 minutes). The most punctual departure time is 05:00 (average delay 40 minutes); the worst time is 14:00 (83 minutes). Blue Bird leads the delay ranking (average 99 minutes), followed by TUS (82 minutes) and Lufthansa (79 minutes). Azerbaijan Airlines is the most punctual (20 minutes), and Qantas (22 minutes) follows. However, Blue Bird operated nearly 150 flights in the past week, while Azerbaijan Airlines operates only about 20. Congestion may worsen if American refueling planes arrive, occupying parking spots and slots and receiving priority due to the security situation. Arkia announced changes to flights to Greece, Budapest, Paris, and Montenegro.