A US Air Force Boeing KC-135 at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, February 25, 2026: Additional tanker aircraft are to be accommodated by the Israeli Air Force in the future.Image: keystone
The additional US tanker aircraft will now not be stationed at Ben Gurion International Airport, but at Israeli Air Force bases.
July 18, 2026, 3:24 p.mJuly 18, 2026, 3:24 p.m
The dispute over the stationing of additional US tanker aircraft at Israel’s major Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv has reportedly been resolved. Israeli media reported, citing the army, that the additional US aircraft would not be stationed at the international airport, but at Israeli Air Force bases.
US tanker aircraft stationed in Israel had previously caused bottlenecks at Ben Gurion Airport. According to the Jerusalem Post, the airport can only use a third of its capacity for civil air traffic. The Israeli airport authority had therefore warned that in the event of further deployments, up to 50,000 flight tickets could be canceled during the peak summer travel season. Transport Minister Miri Regev then instructed the airport authority not to allow tanker planes to land beyond the agreed number.
The US news portal Axios reported on Friday that the US government had informed Israel that it would send dozens more tankers in advance of a possible expansion of its military operations against Iran.
Israeli government officials said the US military preferred to base the tankers at Ben Gurion Airport because other air bases in the region were more at risk of Iranian attacks and less safe for US aircraft.
The modern air defense systems such as Iron Dome and Arrow around Ben Gurion Airport offer better protection than military bases in the desert. (sda/dpa)