Ben-Gurion Airport strike cancelled
Workers union goes back on decision to halt all departures and arrivals after pirate radio stations broadcasting near airport cut off communication between air traffic control tower and planes Wednesday. 'This is a disaster waiting to happen,' says Airport Authority director-general
An intended closure of Ben Gurion airport on Thursday was prevented Wednesday night after Ofer Eini, chairman of the Histadrut Labor Federation, intervened in negotiations between the Airport Authority and the airport worker's council.
Nonetheless, if disruptions in communication occur Thursday as they did Wednesday, flight monitors are expected to close down the airport. The disruptions were caused by pirate radio stations.
The staff at the airport does not remember ever encountering so many problems with air traffic control. The unlicensed radio stations jamming of the Ben-Gurion air traffic control tower frequencies reached new levels Wednesday, resulting in the halting of outgoing flights.
"It's all just one big mess," said Gabi Ophir, director-general of the Israel Airports Authority. "The radio stations are jamming the tower's connection with the planes. We've tried to switch frequencies, but they're all taken."
The danger, said Ophir, is clear. "It's like working with your eyes closed. The pilots simply can't hear the tower's landing instructions…this isn't a new problem, but it's reaches absurd levels – we've actually had to shut flights down… if this goes on it’s a disaster waiting to happen."
Many passengers found themselves stuck at the airport. "We were on the plane and after a considerable wait, we were told to get off… We weren't offered much of an explanation, we were just told a radio station was jamming the control tower," Yasmin Schneider from Tel Aviv told Ynet.
"The problem is no one told us when we might take off," she added. "And now we have to go through the entire security screening process again. It's frustrating."
Meital Zur contributed to this report
