Ben Gurion Airport Traffic Nears Pre-War Levels With 793,500 Departures
Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics shows 793,500 Israeli departures abroad in October 2026. Ben Gurion Airport passenger traffic has nearly recovered to pre-war levels, driven by seasonal growth and returning expatriates.
Ben Gurion International Airport has navigated significant fluctuations over the past three years, balancing security adjustments and the gradual return of international carriers while maintaining continuous operations.
According to data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Israelis recorded 793,500 departures abroad in October 2026, marking a slight decline compared to 811,900 departures in October 2025. Mirroring last year's trends, the vast majority of departures—88 percent, or 696,100 travelers—were conducted by air. Land border crossings totaled 86,700 departures, including 29,500 through the Taba border crossing into Sinai, down from 37,500 during the same month last year. Sea travel accounted for 10,700 departures.
Cumulative Growth Over Ten Months
Looking at the first ten months of 2026 as a whole, data indicates a moderate upward trend with a total of 8.10 million departures abroad, compared to 7.93 million during the corresponding period in 2025. Out of the total departures since the beginning of the year, 6.97 million were made by air, 1.06 million via land crossings, and 71,100 by sea.
A notable trend in October was the sharp increase in returning Israeli expatriates visiting the homeland—driven in part by the upcoming Knesset elections—who subsequently flew back to their places of residence abroad. Departures among expatriates reached 76,300, accounting for 9.6 percent of total departures, compared to just 6.4 percent in October 2025.
Seasonal Trends and Full Recovery
Seasonally adjusted trend analysis reveals a significant strengthening in aviation activity in recent months. Between August and October 2026, the monthly average surged to 902,000 air departures, up from an average of 720,600 departures between May and July. Concurrently, the growth rate accelerated to an average monthly increase of 6.2 percent during August through October, compared to 5.0 percent in the preceding months.
International passenger traffic at Ben Gurion Airport has achieved an almost complete recovery to pre-October 7, 2023 levels, accompanied by structural shifts in the aviation competitive landscape. Data from the economics and aviation relations division indicates that passenger traffic last September was merely one percent lower than in September 2023, while the number of international flights actually increased by approximately one percent.
