Israel Approves $840 Million Plan For Expansion At Ben Gurion Airport

By Marcy Oster May 14, 2019

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Travelers will have dozens of additional check-in counters and more parking under an $840 million expansion plan for Ben Gurion Airport.

Israel’s Transportation Ministry approved the plan for the international arrivals and departures terminal to feature an additional 90 check-in counters, four more luggage conveyor belts, an expanded duty-free area, a larger border control and more parking facilities, as well as a fifth concourse, Israel’s Chanel 12 News first reported on Sunday.

Some 23 million travelers use the airport each year, with experts predicting an increase to 30 million in about five years.

Katz told Channel 12 that he approved the plan “in order to be ready within a few years for an increase of up to 30 million travelers a year and to also prepare for an increase of up to 35 million travelers in the years afterwards. I did this so that everyone could fly under optimal conditions from Ben Gurion Airport.”

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