Israelis fly, tourists delay: what happened at Ben Gurion Airport in September?

The holiday month brought an increase in passenger traffic at Ben Gurion Airport: 1.23 million departures of Israelis abroad in September, compared to 1.05 million in September 2025. In contrast, 137,200 visitors entered Israel, up from 115,300 last year, but the cumulative gap in January-September remains significant: 805,400 entries compared to 942,800 last year. The US leads in incoming tourism.

The holiday month was clearly felt in passenger traffic at Ben Gurion Airport. In September, 1.23 million departures of Israelis abroad were recorded, compared to 1.05 million in September 2025. Of these, about 1.1 million departures were by air, 119,000 by land, and 11,800 by sea. The trend is strengthening: in July-September, an average of 855,400 air departures were recorded per month, compared to 540,100 in April-June. Since the beginning of the year, 7.31 million departures have been recorded, compared to 7.11 million in the same period in 2025. On the inbound side, 137,200 visitors entered Israel in September, of whom 135,500 were tourists. This is an increase compared to 115,300 in September 2025, but the cumulative gap remains: in January-September, 805,400 visitor entries were recorded, compared to 942,800 last year. However, a recovery in air tourism is evident: in July-September, an average of 111,200 tourist entries by air were recorded per month, compared to 48,200 in April-June. The US leads incoming tourism with 35.5% of all entries, followed by France (12.4%), the UK (8.2%), and Russia (4.7%). Additionally, 62,400 Israelis residing abroad arrived for "homeland visits" in September, compared to 56,900 last year. The article presents a dual picture: high departures of Israelis versus a slow recovery of incoming tourism.