Israel’s Transportation Ministry is moving to increase the number of passengers permitted on departing flights from Ben Gurion Airport as early as Sunday, officials said.

Under the emerging framework, departing flights would be allowed to carry up to 70 passengers, up from the current cap of 50. An additional 20 seats would be reserved for humanitarian cases, bringing the potential maximum to 90 passengers per flight.

The plan has not been finalized and remains subject to revision based on security assessments and decisions by relevant government authorities.

The ministry reduced the departing passenger limit to 50 on March 23, down from a previous cap of 120, after Iranian ballistic missiles struck central and southern Israel, causing multiple impacts and injuries. No restrictions apply to arriving flights.

Ben Gurion Airport continues to operate under severe constraints, with takeoffs and landings limited to one per hour as Israel’s airspace remains largely closed to regular commercial air traffic amid the ongoing war with Iran.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)