Ben Gurion Airport Marks Busiest Month Ever

In March, almost 2 million passengers traveled through Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport—setting an all-time record—even pre-COVID.

A total of 1,983,428 people made use of Ben Gurion International Airport as part of their travel plans, both domestic and international. This represents a 57 percent increase over the number of travelers in 2022 and an increase from prior to COVID.

El Al, Israel’s national airline, had a record number of travelers—a 50 percent increase over last March—with 432,365 passengers. And El Al represented almost a quarter of all the travelers—22.9 percent—going through the airport.

One surprising reason for the increase was Dubai. The most popular destination for passengers at Ben Gurion was the United Arab Emirates city with 117,329 passengers flying there. There are 12 daily flights between Dubai and Ben Gurion.

Relations between the two nations continue to warm. This year, the UAE became the first-ever Arab nation to host a Holocaust memorial event.

The United States was the most popular destination for Israelis—with 190,249 passengers leaving for America in March from the Holy Land.