Passenger Flows Shift Before Knesset Vote

For many Israelis, the decision to stay home or return to the country has altered travel plans in the week leading up to the general election. Channel 13 reported on Sunday that airport traffic at Ben-Gurion Airport has changed dramatically. The data indicates that fewer citizens are leaving the country, while a larger number are arriving.

The station compared passenger activity from October 17 to 27 across three years: 2022, 2025, and 2026. In 2022, the last year Israel held a general election, approximately 323,000 passengers departed during that period. The figure dropped to about 270,000 in 2025, following the end of the war. In 2026, departures fell further to roughly 245,000. This decline is notable because current aviation capacity, including the number of available aircraft and flights, is higher than in previous years.

Arrivals have increased correspondingly. Channel 13 noted that no large-scale special airlift was organized to bring voters back. Instead, incoming travelers used existing commercial capacity. The station calculated that more than 90,000 more people entered Israel than left it during the examined period. This gap exceeds the difference of about 77,000 recorded in the same stretch of 2025.

The station estimated that if all 90,000 additional arrivals were eligible voters who cast valid ballots, the number would equal roughly two Knesset seats. However, the airport data includes children and foreign nationals who cannot vote, so the exact number of returning voters is not specified by the totals.

These shifts may influence the outcome of Tuesday's vote. Israel uses a proportional representation system with a 3.25% electoral threshold. Parties must clear this bar to win any of the 120 Knesset seats. Modest changes in turnout could determine which parties near that line secure representation.

The trend aligns with a recent Fly&Vote survey, which estimated that about 67,000 Israelis living abroad planned to travel home to vote. That figure was based on registration data and a voluntary survey, not confirmed arrivals. Most Israeli citizens abroad cannot vote remotely and must return in person. The Fly&Vote initiative, run by the AID Coalition, has assisted these voters, though its activities faced restrictions after legal proceedings initiated by Likud.

Alon Ben-Gurion, grandson of the country's first prime minister, arrived from the United States with his family. According to Channel 13, he traveled to Tiberias to cast his ballot. Organizers had already arranged dedicated flights from New York and Lisbon in August to meet demand from Israelis overseas.