Ben Gurion Airport Breaks All-Time Travel Records

The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) is reporting that Ben Gurion airport broke an Israeli record this past Thursday, setting a record-high number of travelers to pass through the airport.

According to the IAA, more than 2 million travelers have passed through the airport this August alone, with a record-high number of 79,800 traveling through the airport’s terminals Thursday. The huge surge in air traffic follows a 20% jump in traffic this July, and a 10% rise in flights as compared to the same time last year.

Luckily, Ben Gurion is well-equipped to handle the increase in travelers and flights. New technology introduced at the airport, like that which allows travelers to check themselves into their flights, have helped to ensure a smooth trip for the hundreds of thousands of people in transit passing through the airport. In addition, a new TLV Airport App is available for both Android and Apple, which allows passengers to look up flight information and check the status of their flights.

Though the increase is significant, its cause is not unknown, with many IAA officials citing the new Open Skies agreement as the root cause of the increased traffic. The new agreement has expanded both the number of airlines as well as the price range of flights, leading to the increased traffic being observed by the IAA.

“In light of the increase in passenger traffic this summer, the Israel Airports Authority requests that members of the public arrive early to the airport, at least three hours before flights, and print boarding passes at home.” A statement from the IAA read. “We have deployed reinforcements in order to absorb the masses of summer vacationers at Ben-Gurion Airport, and worker deployments will continue until after the High Holy Days, with the mass exodus of vacationers abroad during the holidays.”