Ben-Gurion International Airport remained severely disrupted Friday morning after an unannounced worker walkout halted incoming flights and check-in operations Thursday, causing cancellations, long delays and an estimated NIS 30 million ($10 million) in economic damage.
Departing flights were delayed by an average of 70 to 90 minutes Friday, making Ben-Gurion the world’s most disrupted airport for departures at that time, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. When arrivals were included, the airport ranked 10th worldwide for disruptions.
The stoppage began Thursday afternoon as workers left check-in counters during what was expected to be Israel’s busiest travel day in a year. Approximately 107,000 passengers and more than 600 arrivals and departures had been scheduled.
The Israel Airports Authority described the action as an illegal strike and considered seeking an order from the national Labor Court. The Histadrut labor federation denied authorizing a strike and said chronic staffing shortages and poor preparations for summer passenger traffic caused the disruption.
Airport workers’ union chief Pinchas Idan said he had warned Transportation Minister Miri Regev in June that staffing levels were inadequate. He criticized a decision to dismiss 250 temporary employees while existing teams were already struggling with passenger volumes.
Regev instructed airport management to seek court intervention, accusing workers of taking “tens of thousands of Israeli citizens hostage.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party later revoked Idan’s party membership, saying the stoppage had harmed the public and the economy.
Employees returned to work Thursday afternoon, but canceled and delayed flights left aircraft and crews out of position, prolonging the disruption.
“I’m glad to say, the airport is returning to full operations, and even beyond that,” Israel Airports Authority Chairman Yiftah Ron-Tal said Thursday. “We’re ramping up the number of departing flights and will be doubling them in the coming hours.”
The disruption struck as Ben-Gurion was already operating under pressure from heavy summer travel and the presence of US military aircraft connected to the war with Iran.
