Think the summer travel rush is behind us? Think again. The Israel Airports Authority is preparing for an exceptionally busy month, with more than 3 million passengers expected to pass through its facilities during September and the Tishrei holiday season. Most will travel through Ben Gurion Airport, which alone is expected to handle approximately 2.5 million passengers—roughly equivalent to the traffic seen during August.
The crowds are expected to peak on several key days: September 10, 17, 22, and 25, when Ben Gurion will see about 100,000 passengers daily alongside some 600 flights. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, September 10, the airport expects an unusually high number of more than 100,000 passengers on international flights alone.
Flights to Uman will add to the congestion. The dedicated flights begin September 6 and continue through September 17. The most popular destinations during the holidays are expected to be Greece, Cyprus, the U.S., Italy, and the United Arab Emirates.
The crowds won’t stay at Ben Gurion alone. Ramon Airport expects about 81,000 passengers, Haifa about 60,000, and the land border crossings to Sinai and Jordan about 500,000 passengers. The Rabin crossing expects about 190,000 passengers, Allenby about 153,000, the Begin crossing about 100,000, and the Jordan River crossing about 55,000.
The Airports Authority has increased its staff for the busy period, and during the holiday there will also be an increased presence of managers in the terminals. For passengers themselves, the authority recommends checking in advance which terminal the flight departs from, checking in from home, and printing baggage tags at self-service stations. Those flying with carry-on only who have checked in independently can use the fast track in Sector W in Terminals 1 and 3. And the authority also reminds reservists and security personnel to carefully check their bags before heading to the airport, and make sure no ammunition parts are left in them.