This figure represents about a 15 percent increase over the comparable period last year

Busy days with more than 50,000 passengers passing through Ben-Gurion International Airport are expected on September 28, the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, with some 54,000 passengers, and on October 2, with some 55,000 passengers. On October 5, some 52,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport, and on the eve of the Succot festival, October 13, some 55,000 passengers.

According to the forecasts, the leading destinations for the upcoming holiday season are Turkey, with some 160,000 passengers; the United States, with some 77,000 passengers; Italy, with some 65,000 passengers; and Germany, with some 60,000 passengers.

The IAA Director General, Kobi Mor, said: “Ben Gurion airport's peak season, which started in July, is expected to extend through the September-October holiday period, and the IAA will continue to beef up its airport units in order to facilitate the smooth flow of incoming and outgoing  passengers. The recent summer season, the busiest the airport has ever known, passed smoothly and without disruptions thanks to the operational skills of the relevant airport personnel, and I am hopeful that this will also be the case during the coming holiday period.”

On the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Wednesday, October 8, the Ben-Gurion airport air space will be closed to traffic at 1 p.m. and aircraft traffic will cease at 12:50 p.m. At the end of Yom Kippur, Thursday, October 9, the airport will reopen for incoming international flights at 9:30 p.m. and for outgoing international flights at 10:30 p.m.

With best wishes for a Happy New Year,