Fog causes delays at Ben-Gurion Airport

Hundreds of passengers stranded at Israel's international airport Monday night due to weather conditions. Incoming flights diverted to Jordan, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. Fog clears Tuesday morning, flights resumed

Yoav Zitun|Last update: 11.16.10 , 10:49

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Ben-Gurion Airport early Tuesday due to heavy fog, which caused delays in departures and arrivals. Many flights were diverted to other airports in the region.

The fog cleared late Tuesday morning, and flights which landed in alternative airports were expected to return to Israel. The Israel Airports Authority called on passengers not to leave their homes before checking the updated departure time.

Flights scheduled to land at Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday night were diverted to airports in Jordan, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.

Passngers stranded at Ben-Gurion Airport (Photo: Shahar)

Significant delays were recorded in flights to North America. El Al flights to Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles did not depart on time, leaving hundreds of passengers trying to get some sleep on their luggage.

The heavy fog and poor visibility caused the IAA to close Sde Dov Airport in northern Tel Aviv for several hours.

Ben Gurion Airport Manager, Shmuel Kandel told Ynet that "we experienced an unusual amount of fog tonight, but life is now going back to normal. After many hours of delays, which began at midnight and caused a lot of passenger traffic in the terminal, the departures have now been resumed."

The delays were caused due to the lack of an upgraded system allowing planes to land in harsh weather conditions, which is installed in modern airports across the world.

According to Kandel, "We favor safety over capacity. In such a foggy weather like we had tonight, the planes' arrival for departure is different and the planes are led by a Ben-Gurion Airport vehicle which escorts them up to the runway. It ensures that the runway is clear and ready for departure."

Last week, during his first visit to Israel, International Air Transport Association Director Giovanni Bisignani criticized the Jewish state for not having an alternative airport capable of handling regular flights.

In a meeting with Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Bisignani said, "What you have today is Larnaca's airport. A situation in which a country's alternative airport operates in another country is not normal."