The Israel Airports Authority said that “following instructions from the workers’ committee” to disrupt operations at Ben Gurion Airport, air traffic would be reduced beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday until landings were halted entirely, while departures continued gradually according to an updated flight schedule. The authority later said operations would gradually resume from 3 p.m., in accordance with a revised flight schedule.
“Passengers are asked to remain in contact with their airlines and stay updated on their flight times and any possible schedule changes,” the authority said.
According to the Airports Authority, the workers’ committee was responsible for locking the entrances to the airport parking lots, leaving hundreds of vehicles stuck in traffic or parked in makeshift spaces along the sides of roads.
Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport whose flights were canceled described heavy crowding, compounded by the hot weather.
“We regret the conduct of the workers’ committee and apologize to passengers,” the authority said earlier.
According to the Israel Airports Authority, after airport employees halted operations, officials decided to stop check-in services and later to suspend airport activity altogether.
The suspension of check-in services caused chaos and heavy congestion at the airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year, with nearly 100,000 passengers and 600 flights. Pilots and airlines were issued a NOTAM stating that the airport would close to landings at 2 p.m. and departures would continue, but at a reduced pace.
Ben Gurion Airport this week
“We are investigating the incident. We are at the peak of the travel season, alongside the presence of American refueling aircraft. If the investigation shows that this was indeed a work-to-rule action, we will act very harshly against those responsible. Heads will roll,” senior Transportation Ministry officials said.
The Histadrut labor federation, however, said no instruction to strike had been issued.
“The Histadrut’s Transportation Workers Union wishes to clarify that no directive was issued to stop work. The attempt to portray the chaos at Ben Gurion Airport as the result of a ‘surprise strike’ is untrue and diverts attention from the real failure: a severe and ongoing manpower shortage and inadequate preparation for the summer travel rush.”
"For many months, the Transportation Workers Union warned the Israel Airports Authority management and the transportation minister that the existing staffing system could not cope with the expected passenger volumes. The congestion at Ben Gurion Airport did not come as a surprise. The writing was on the wall, the warnings went unanswered — and now the public is paying the price.
“Ben Gurion Airport employees are going above and beyond to keep the system functioning, but the national airport cannot be run on the endless burnout of its workers. Employees cannot work hundreds of hours a month to make up for staffing shortages and inadequate preparation by the state.”
Workers’ committee chairman: ‘I warned there was a manpower shortage’
Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Israel Airports Authority workers’ committee, said: “They can’t just say ‘strike’ and make up stories because everyone wants to cover themselves. In June I sent a letter saying there was a manpower shortage, and then they said, ‘There’s no shortage, it’s the Americans, it’s Greece’ — fairy tales. A baggage handler cannot work 13 hours a day in this heat. What do you want? For people to collapse?”
He added: “Everyone says there’s no manpower shortage. Come, I’ll give you a tour and you tell me whether it’s normal for a baggage handler to start at 3 a.m. and finish at 3 p.m. We did not stop working. The morning shift started at 3 a.m. and finished at noon. At 1 p.m., the afternoon shift went back to work as usual. All the baggage handlers are working. They finished nine hours and went home. They deserve to.”
Idan also addressed a statement by Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who is currently in Morocco and said she had instructed Airports Authority management to petition the labor court against the workers’ committee “in order to force them to stop the thuggish and illegal strike.”
Unusually heavy congestion at Ben Gurion Airport this week
Idan responded: “I asked to go to the labor court. I asked for a judge to decide whether a baggage handler in this heat should have to work from 3 a.m.
“The CEO was abroad and asked me to wait until he returned, so I waited. The minister asked because she has elections, and I understood, but enough,” Idan said. “I spoke with her today. I don’t answer to anyone. They will not kill the workers, they will not abuse them. This is backbreaking labor in this heat. They have no shame.”
Airports Authority: ‘We are recruiting; halting operations is extreme’
The Israel Airports Authority said in response: “We regret that the workers’ committee chairman is choosing to divert the discussion from the main issue. In recent months, the Airports Authority has been working intensively to recruit new employees across all units, and as part of this effort dozens of additional workers have already been hired, with recruitment continuing even now.
“Shutting down Ben Gurion Airport at the height of the summer season is an extreme, difficult and unnecessary step that first and foremost harms the public,” the authority said. “Thousands of passengers, including children and families who planned their summer vacations for months, could find themselves today unable to travel abroad or return to Israel. Disputes between management and workers should be resolved responsibly and through dialogue, not at the expense of passengers.”
The shutdown also overwhelmed airline and travel agency service centers with calls from passengers. Some were stranded abroad and seeking information about return flights, while others were stuck in Israel unable to complete check-in.
“In the past half hour, I’ve been overwhelmed with calls from clients stranded at various airports who have no idea what is happening with their flights home or how many hours they may be delayed because of the chaos at Ben Gurion Airport,” veteran travel agent Yaki Lavi said.
Unusual congestion at Ben Gurion Airport this week
The Israeli aviation sector is already dealing with a series of disruptions, including long delays and unusually heavy congestion at Ben Gurion Airport. Recent problems have been attributed in part to refueling disruptions at the airport, air traffic congestion over Greece and staffing shortages.
Transport Minister Miri Regev is currently in Marrakesh for the renewal of Arkia’s route to Morocco.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Miri Regev visit at Ben Gurion Airport
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Regev visited Ben Gurion Airport only a day earlier, where they were briefed on its operational activity during the summer season. At the time, operations appeared to be functioning normally. The situation on Thursday looked very different.
Staff shortages?
Current and former Ben Gurion Airport employees have argued that many of the recent delays stem from inadequate preparation for the summer season and a shortage of workers. They say the Airports Authority’s employment model leads to high staff turnover and means too few workers are sometimes recruited in time for peak travel periods.
“That’s how it always is,” one employee said. “There’s a huge amount of work and not enough staff. Every winter, veteran employees who are getting close to permanent status are let go, and then by summer there aren’t enough workers.”
First published: 13:37, 08.20.26