Photo: Chris Hoare| Wikimedia Commons
Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), an aerodrome that is named after David Ben Gurion, who once, rather infamously said, “We must do everything to ensure they [the Palestinians] never do return … The old will die and the young will forget,” has been at the center of a scuffle that might carry on for quite a long time. Houthis have targeted the airport and asked international airlines to avoid using Israeli airspace. Delta Air Lines (DEL) had announced the cancellation of flights to Tel Aviv quite a while ago, and so had United Airlines. British Airways had already cancelled flights to this airport until the middle of next month.
The operations at the airport had shut down on May 4, 2025 following a missile attack on May 4, 2025. The Times of Israel had reported that the Yemen-based terror group – Houthis- had threatened to “blockade” Ben Gurion Airport, which before the construction of Ramon Airport was regarded as a single point of failure.
Timeline of the missile attacks at Ben Gurion airport
While there have been plenty of missiles that have been aimed at Ben Gurion Airport lately, one could say that the attack on 4th May, 2025 marked the beginning of major flight disruptions to and from Israel. The missile fired at the airport on that day was a hypersonic ballistic missile. CNN reported that Houthi’s had carried out the missile attacks “in rejection of (Israel’s) crime of genocide” against the people of Gaza. The failure of the Israeli and American defence forces to intercept the missile meant that it marked the first time the airport was successfully targeted by the group. The same publication also revealed:
The group later warned it could strike again and would “impose a comprehensive air blockade” on Israel by “repeatedly targeting airports,” especially Ben Gurion. It called on international airlines to plan accordingly and cancel all scheduled flights to Israeli airports.
Following this attack, several other modes of transport were affected:
| Mode of transport | Effects |
| Road closures | Affected the surrounding area |
| Train services | Halt of services to and from the airport |
.Houthis have claimed that their ballistic missiles can travel at Mach 16 – a speed that is more than two times greater than of the record-setting North American X-15 hypersonic program. More than half a dozen people were injured during this attack, but an hour after the airspace was closed, Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that the airport had returned to a state of normalcy:
“Ben Gurion Airport is open for operations. Takeoffs and landings have returned to normal.”
It wasn’t the first time the TLV had been targeted, though
A couple of months prior to this attack, Ben Gurion Airport had experienced air traffic disruptions, with six flights being redirected. On March 20, 2025, a series of rockets were fired towards TLV from Gaza by Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza, which have now been so disproportionate that even the International Criminal Court stated that there were “reasonable grounds” that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity for Israel’s attacks in Gaza for the past one and half year, were the reason behind Qassam Brigades’ attack.
On November 6, 2024, Middle East Monitor reported that a rocket fired from Lebanon struck a car in the Ra’anana area of Tel Aviv, causing some flight disruptions at the airport.
Current Operational Status at Ben Gurion Airport
On May 21, 2025, The Jerusalem Post reported that Ben-Gurion Airport’s arrivals terminal was closed for about half an hour. This was amidst a “fear of a security incident”. Israeli military had intercepted a missile (directed from Yemen) on Thursday, and hours after this incident, a second missile was intercepted.
Photo: Matti Blume|Wikimedia Commmons
A statement by Houthi’s spokesman Yahya Saree was quoted in MSN as “operation successfully achieved its goal, causing millions of occupying Zionists to rush to shelters and bringing the airport to a standstill“.
Security Enhancements and Safety Measures after the attack
at Ben Gurion Airport
Photo: Ralf Roletschek | Wikimedia Commons
It was quoted in Press Tv that an unnamed source had claimed that airlines operating to and from Israel needed to “change their destinations and pay close attention to the warnings from the Yemeni army” as Yemen was looking to enforce not only aerial blockade over Israel but also on other Israeli installations. Such attacks, the source revealed would have a “steady and intensifying course,” and would be conducted “regularly and NOT incidentally.”
“….the Yemeni Armed Forces and the nation “are not deterred by psychological warfare or threats,” reaffirming their resolve in the face of attempts to pressure or dissuade their campaign.”
Outlook for Reopening to Foreign Airlines
photo:
According to International Airport Review, the following airlines have suspended flights to Israel :
| Airlines | Suspended through |
| Aegean Airlines | May 21, 2025 |
| Air France | May 20, 2025 |
| AirBaltic | June 8, 2025 |
| Air Seychelles | August 2025 |
| Air Canada | September 8, 2025 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | May 25, 2025 |
| Lufthansa Group (includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings) | May 25, 2025 |
| Transavia | May 20, 2025 |
| Ryanair | June 4, 2025 |
| Iberia Express | May 31, 2025 |
| United Airlines | June 12, 2025 |