tourists at Ben-Gurion airport
tourists at Ben-Gurion airportFlash 90

A "record" number of flights will land and depart from Lod's Ben Gurion Airport Sunday, according to Channel 2 - some 521 aircraft in 24 hours. 

No less than 263 aircraft will land and 258 will depart from Israel's international airport, transporting nearly 70,000 people at the peak of the holiday travel season. 

Due to expected congestion, the Israeli Airport Authority (IAA) has advised all passengers to arrive at Ben-Gurion four hours before schedule departure - instead of the usual three for international flights - and to keep abreast of changes in arrival and departure time.

Part of the arrivals are due to return flights of Breslov Hassidim from Uman, Ukraine, the IAA noted, after the yearly Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage.  

In total, 1.4 million passengers will travel through the airport during the holiday season, which extends until the end of the Sukkot holiday in October.

Leading destinations for Israelis traveling abroad include the US, Greece, Italy, Germany, Russia, and France, according to Channel 2