Ben Gurion Airport Passenger Traffic Rises 6% in October 2026
Ben Gurion Airport handled nearly two million passengers in October 2026, marking a 6% year-on-year increase. Israeli airlines boosted their market share, while cargo and domestic flights also posted significant growth.
Ben Gurion Airport recorded a significant recovery in aviation activity during October 2026, handling a total of 1,958,822 passengers on international and domestic flights, according to data released on Monday. This figure marks a 6.01% increase compared to October of the previous year. Total aircraft movements also grew by 5.83% to reach 14,226. However, cumulative figures from January to October 2026 still reflect a slight 0.62% decrease in passenger volume compared to the same period in 2025.
International operations constituted the core of the airport's traffic, serving 1,887,882 passengers, which represents a 5.31% rise over October 2025. International flights totaled 13,517, showing a 4.58% increase. Terminal 3 handled the majority of travelers with 1,687,765 passengers, while Terminal 1, dedicated to departing passengers, surged by 34.55% to serve 200,117 travelers.
Israeli airlines—including El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia Israeli Airlines, and Israir Airlines—demonstrated continued market dominance, transporting 1,025,359 passengers, or 54.31% of all international traffic at Ben Gurion. El Al led the market by a wide margin, carrying 649,118 passengers, or 34.38% of the total traffic, marking a 15.08% increase. Key contributors among foreign carriers included Wizz Air, Etihad Airways from the United Arab Emirates, Blue Bird, and Lufthansa.
Greece remained the most sought-after destination country with 200,280 passengers, despite a 6.69% decline. The USA ranked second with 190,221 passengers, followed by Italy, which recorded a 40.83% surge to 180,462 travelers. Athens emerged as the busiest destination city, followed by Larnaca, Rome, New York (JFK), and Budapest. Conversely, passenger traffic to Dubai crashed by 97.47%, dropping from 99,259 in October 2025 to just 2,502 travelers in October 2026.
Cargo activity also showed positive momentum, with 33,842 tons of freight handled in October, up 9.04% year-on-year. Meanwhile, domestic aviation experienced substantial growth, with 70,940 passengers passing through domestic routes, representing a 28.61% increase, driven primarily by flights to and from Ramon Airport in the south.
