Ben Gurion Airport, 3-9 May 2026: 67.8% On Time, 25 Cancellations
Summary
In the week of 3-9 May 2026, Ben Gurion Airport recorded 1,586 flights. Only 67.8% of flights were on time (within 15 minutes of scheduled time).
25 flights were cancelled (1.6% of total). The average delay for delayed flights was 61.9 minutes.
Compared with the previous week: on-time performance worsened from 73.2% to 67.8%, and cancellations dropped from 74 to 25.
About this period
This week falls inside the 2026 disruption period (11 February - 15 May 2026). Ben Gurion was closed or operating at reduced capacity, so the flight count is far below a normal week. These are the period's own figures - nothing has been excluded from them, which is why they differ from the site-wide statistics.
Key Takeaways
- flydubai leads with 78.6% on-time performance (56 flights)
- Highest cancellation rate: Blue Bird Airways with 10.0% (6 flights cancelled)
- Most popular route: ATHENS with 131 flights
- Most delayed route: MILAN-MALPENSA (only 42.4% on-time, avg. delay 44.5 min)
Codeshare Deduplication
Statistics show unique physical flights only. Each aircraft is counted once, even when marketed under multiple airline codes (codeshare agreements).
Airlines often sell seats on each other's flights. For example, one physical plane might be marketed as:
We count this as 1 flight, not 3, giving you accurate statistics about actual air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport.
Departures: 15 minutes of taxi are not counted as delay
An airline's schedule is the time the aircraft leaves the gate; the time published for a departure is the moment it takes off. In between it drives to the runway. 15 minutes are deducted from every departure before a delay is counted. Arrivals are not adjusted.
Without the deduction a flight that left its gate exactly on time is recorded a quarter of an hour late, and half of the flights counted as delayed had in fact landed at their destination within 15 minutes of schedule.
15 is the fastest take-off flights actually achieve, measured over 60 days: 11 minutes for the median flight number, 11 to 16 minutes in every hour of the day. It covers the drive to the runway and not the queue for it.
An estimate. The Israel Airports Authority publishes no gate-departure time, so the real figure can be bounded but not measured; 15 minutes is a floor measured across the whole day, so wherever the drive to the runway actually takes longer these figures still show more delay than there was.
A flight moved later the same day is one flight, late from its original time
When an airline cancels a slot and flies the same number later that day, it is counted once, and its delay is measured from the time that was cancelled, which is the time the passengers held. A flight moved earlier keeps its own delay: the feed does not say which of the two times was booked.
Data collected from the Israel Airports Authority and other sources. We do our best to ensure accuracy, but flight data changes frequently and minor discrepancies may occur. This information is provided for general reference only and is not a claim about any individual airline's service. Spotted an inaccuracy? Let us know and we'll review it.
Arrivals vs Departures
Delay Distribution
Top 10 Destinations
| # | Destination | Flights | Arrivals | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
ATHENS
|
131 | 65 | 66 |
| 2 |
LARNACA
|
116 | 58 | 58 |
| 3 |
RAMON
|
105 | 53 | 52 |
| 4 |
PARIS-CHARLES DE GAULLE
|
61 | 30 | 31 |
| 5 |
NEW YORK - J.F.KENNEDY
|
56 | 28 | 28 |
| 6 |
DUBAI
|
56 | 28 | 28 |
| 7 |
ROME - FIUMICINO
|
55 | 27 | 28 |
| 8 |
BUDAPEST
|
52 | 25 | 27 |
| 9 |
PRAGUE-RUZYNE
|
46 | 23 | 23 |
| 10 |
BATUMI
|
46 | 24 | 22 |
Full Airline Ranking
| # | Airline | On Time | Flights | Avg. Delay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
flydubai
|
78.6% | 56 | 44.0 min | |
| 2 |
Blue Bird Airways
|
74.1% | 60 | 60.7 min | |
| 3 |
El Al
|
72.0% | 814 | 55.8 min | |
| 4 |
Israir
|
58.3% | 201 | 43.7 min | |
| 5 |
Arkia
|
56.0% | 240 | 85.8 min |
Arrivals only
Landings at Ben Gurion only, airlines with at least 15 arrivals. On time = landed within 15 minutes of schedule.
| # | Airline | On Time | Flights | Avg. Delay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Blue Bird Airways
|
85.2% | 29 | 68.8 min | |
| 2 |
flydubai
|
78.6% | 28 | 45.0 min | |
| 3 |
El Al
|
67.5% | 406 | 54.2 min | |
| 4 |
Israir
|
63.6% | 100 | 47.7 min | |
| 5 |
Arkia
|
62.6% | 118 | 102.5 min |
Departures only
Take-offs from Ben Gurion only, airlines with at least 15 departures. The time we record is the moment of take-off, and 15 minutes of taxi to the runway are deducted before a delay is counted.
| # | Airline | On Time | Flights | Avg. Delay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
flydubai
|
78.6% | 28 | 43.0 min | |
| 2 |
El Al
|
76.4% | 408 | 58.0 min | |
| 3 |
Blue Bird Airways
|
63.0% | 31 | 57.5 min | |
| 4 |
Israir
|
53.0% | 101 | 40.6 min | |
| 5 |
Arkia
|
49.6% | 122 | 73.6 min |
Cancellation Ranking
Airlines ranked by cancellation rate (minimum 50 flights)
| # | Airline | Cancel Rate | Cancelled | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Blue Bird Airways
|
10.0% | 6 | 60 |
| 2 |
Arkia
|
3.3% | 8 | 240 |
| 3 |
Israir
|
1.0% | 2 | 201 |
| 4 |
El Al
|
0.1% | 1 | 814 |
| 5 |
flydubai
|
0.0% | 0 | 56 |
Using This Data?
In the week of 3-9 May 2026, Ben Gurion Airport recorded 1,586 flights; 67.8% operated on time (within 15 minutes) and 1.6% were cancelled. flydubai led the punctuality ranking with 78.6% — TLV Flights data.
Source: https://www.tlvflights.com/en/flight-statistics/week-2026-05-03/
<a href="https://www.tlvflights.com/en/flight-statistics/week-2026-05-03/">Ben Gurion Airport Flight Punctuality Report — 3-9 May 2026</a>
Behind the Numbers
Who we are. TLV Flights is an independent Israeli site, running since 2025. We are not the Israel Airports Authority and not an airline, and we have no business relationship with the carriers ranked in this report.
Where the data comes from. The figures are collected from the Israel Airports Authority and from further public sources, and saved here daily since 10 December 2025.
Journalists and writers. Need a figure that is not published here, for one day, one destination or one airline? Write to contact@tlvflights.com and we will get back to you the same day.
Source: tlvflights.com/flight-statistics