Even though the number of passengers using Ben Gurion airport is continuing to rise, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) has put out a statement designed to put travelers at ease. "The departure process for plane passengers has been shortened by about an hour despite the rise in the number of passengers leaving the country." According to the IAA, pre-flight procedures currently take an average of 100 minutes, compared with 160 minutes in June. "From entry into the terminal to boarding the flight."

The IAA adds that for those who check-in online and arrive at Ben Gurion airport with just cabin baggage, the average departure time has fallen from 33 minutes to just 20 minutes, "From entering the airport to duty free."

Data from the IAA shows that more than 2.1 million passengers passed through Ben Gurion airport in July. In August estimates are that 2.4 million passengers will use Israel's main airport. This is a rise in passenger traffic over recent months and is rapidly catching up to the record 2019 figures before the Covid pandemic, when there were 2.8 million passengers in each of July and August.

The IAA added that the number of suitcases that were not loaded onto the plane at Ben Gurion airport fell 70% in July.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 1 2022.

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2022.