The amazing data of the Haifa airport and can it help Ben Gurion?

Last Thursday, passengers at airports in Cyprus and Greece were divided into two groups. The vast majority were forced to wait long hours for their flights due to the disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport, while a minority passed them by and boarded, with almost no delay, the Air Haifa flights — straight to a landing in the north. In total, the company operated about 32 flights that day and flew about 2,200 passengers, with the absolute majority of flights departing on time.

And so, while the chaos was unfolding at Ben Gurion Airport, one company emerged that, surprisingly, could be relied upon — Air Haifa. Beyond the credit point for the company, the event brought back to the surface the question regarding the growth potential of the northern airport and the possibility that it would serve as an alternative and reliable infrastructure during a collapse at Ben Gurion Airport.

The leap at the northern airport: before and after Air Haifa

• 2024: Before Air Haifa — about 53.6 thousand passengers.

• 2025: First full year with Air Haifa — about 282.2 thousand passengers.

• 2026:* About 250 thousand passengers (until August 24).

Just about a week and a half ago, the Israel Airports Authority announced the establishment of a new parking lot at the airport, which will span 20 dunams and contain 900 parking spaces. The move was born out of loads that forced passengers to park on sidewalks and at pirate sites. "Haifa Airport is in significant momentum, with an impressive increase in the number of passengers and flights and the expansion of aviation options for residents of the north," the Airports Authority stated at the time.

The amazing data about the airport in Haifa

In 2023, the National Infrastructure Committee approved a plan for the regulation and expansion of the airport in Haifa, which was established by the British back in 1934. The plan, which spans about 125 thousand dunams, includes the extension of the takeoff and landing runway, the addition of taxiways and parking aprons for aircraft, the expansion of the terminal, and the regulation of an area for general aviation. The expansion of the terminal itself is planned to get underway at the end of 2027.

Either way, the airport continues to expand — mainly thanks to the activity of Air Haifa. From the beginning of the year until today, about 250 thousand passengers have passed through the airport, of which about 192 thousand on international flights and about 58 thousand on domestic flights.

"Extending the runway? You have to destroy the seaport"

"The airport in Haifa provides a solution for short destinations, and in the future will be able to provide flights for 2-3 million passengers a year," explains Ilana Shafran, Director of the Transportation Division at the Planning Administration. "And yet, by 2050 we expect about 80 million passengers a year, so Haifa's solution remains limited."

Why not expand it? "The length of the flight runway is relatively small and stands at about 1,300 meters even after expansion," clarifies Shafran. "At the sea end is located the new Haifa Port, and to extend the runway you have to destroy it from the foundation. If you don't take down Mount Carmel, you remain limited in the type of flights."

Yehuda Zafrani, an expert in tourism and international aviation at the Hott consumer club, agrees: "It is located in an area without land reserves, and its expansion requires expropriation of areas in processes of 20 years. When there is a general strike at the Israel Airports Authority, Haifa is also shut down. In point events it does provide assistance, but it cannot serve as a full substitute."

"In the end, it's a sports field"

How much can the airport actually grow soon? According to Gonen Usishkin, CEO of Air Haifa, with minimal effort, next year we will be able to grow by 50% and reach about 600-650 thousand passengers a year. "A more planned move will allow doubling the activity within a year and a half to 1.2 to 1.5 million passengers. With long-term effort from the Israel Airports Authority, it is possible to reach even 2.5 to 3 million passengers a year."

"In the end, it is a 'sports field'. From the moment you arrived at the airport until you are in the air the matter is closed quickly, and the same on the exit. It has no competitors, that is the structure of the airport," says Usishkin.

The government approved last February to move forward with the planning of two additional airports — in Tze'elim in the Negev and in Ramat David. "In September, three location alternatives in Tze'elim are supposed to be submitted for examination," updates Shafran. "In Ramat David, an agreement has already been reached with the defense establishment to allocate one of the runways for the benefit of civil aviation."