Shmuel Zakai, director of the Civil Aviation Authority, warns that following the war in Iran, "Ben Gurion Airport has become a military base.".
According to a report on Channel 12, in a letter he sent in recent days to Transportation Minister Miri Regev, he clarified: "In the current situation, Israel does not have an international airport that can operate effectively. Ben-Gurion Airport has become a military field with limited civilian activity.".
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Zakai called for the US to evacuate its planes from Ben Gurion Airport and transfer them to Air Force bases - and to Ramon Airport.
""BenGevgelija Airport is the main civilian airport of the State of Israel. Turning it into a military base harms not only the airlines, it harms all citizens of the state.".
The Civil Aviation Authority director also demands that Regev provide support to Israeli airlines in the wake of the situation. "This is not about compensation for lost revenue," he wrote. "This is about compensating the companies for the excess expenses they incurred and still continue to incur as a result of the security restrictions imposed on them throughout the war, including the closure of airspace, the limitation of the number of flights, and the limitation of the number of passengers.".
According to him, without doing these things, "it will not be possible to ensure the survival of the companies.".
The Ministry of Transportation responded: "Minister Regev demanded that the Chief of Staff evacuate the American planes to Ramon Airport and military bases within 14 days, otherwise we will not be able to bring back foreign airlines.".
