Israel Airport Traffic: Departures Drop as Vote Nears
Ben-Gurion Airport figures show 245,000 passengers left Israel between October 17 and 26, down from 323,000 in 2022.
By Trevor Wilson ·
About 245,000 passengers departed Israel between October 17 and 26, according to figures Channel 13 reported on October 26. That compares with roughly 270,000 during the same period in 2025, after the war ended, and 323,000 in 2022, the last year Israel held a general election. The decline comes even though more aircraft and flights are available now than in those earlier periods.
Arrivals moved the other way. The gap between people entering and leaving exceeded 90,000 over the 10 days ending October 26, against about 77,000 over the same stretch in 2025. No special flights were organized to bring voters home, and incoming travelers used existing aviation capacity.
Channel 13 estimated that 90,000 people would translate into roughly two Knesset seats if all were eligible voters who cast valid ballots. The data cannot show how many returned to vote, and the totals include children and foreign nationals who cannot participate in Israeli elections.
Israel's electoral threshold sits at 3.25% of valid votes, so turnout shifts can determine whether parties near that line win seats. The 120 seats are divided proportionally among parties clearing the threshold, and the effect of returning voters depends on how their ballots split.
A Fly&Vote survey estimated that about 67,000 Israelis living abroad planned to travel to Israel to vote. The figure came from registration data and a voluntary survey, not confirmed arrivals. Most Israeli citizens abroad cannot vote remotely and must return to cast ballots. The Fly&Vote initiative, run by the AID Coalition, tried to assist them, though its activities were restricted after legal proceedings initiated by Likud.
Channel 13 reported that Alon Ben-Gurion, grandson of Israel's first prime minister David Ben-Gurion, arrived from the United States with his family and traveled to Tiberias to vote. In August, organizers arranged dedicated flights from New York and Lisbon to meet demand among Israelis overseas who wanted to travel for the election.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
