Minutes from a meeting of senior managers in the operations division of the Israel Airports Authority, held four days before operations at Ben Gurion Airport were halted, show that senior authority officials were aware of a severe manpower shortage affecting the airport’s operation during the summer season.
The meeting addressed a gap in the desired number of employees recruited, the burnout of the existing workforce and a resulting rise in safety incidents. The airport’s fire chief and the official responsible for first aid said they did not have the capacity to respond in emergency situations.
The workers’ committee, headed by Pinchas Idan, published two days ago a “Situation report on the manpower shortage at the Israel Airports Authority.” According to the report, the authority is short 400 to 500 workers across all divisions. The authority dismissed the document, responding: “The figures change from one publication to the next, all in an attempt to retroactively justify the serious and unnecessary harm caused to the traveling public.” However, the minutes indicate that various officials had raised the problems that peaked on Thursday.
One manager said at the meeting that “there has been an increase in safety incidents due to the manpower gap” and asked those present to do what was necessary to reduce them: “It is your responsibility to disseminate and discuss the incidents, including their implications, with every last employee.”
He also noted that the airport was at the height of the summer season: “In August there will be 2.6 million passengers, September will stand at around 2.5 million passengers, with the highest number of passengers ever at Ben Gurion Airport in this month. I am impressed by the work of the management team and the units, all of whom are mobilized for the summer.”
The Ben Gurion Airport fire chief warned at the meeting: “The administration’s conduct is problematic, which is why we have reached this situation. Aviation regulations will take effect in November and despite the fact that we have raised and highlighted the issue, I am warning that we are not prepared for an aviation emergency and do not meet operational readiness requirements, including understaffing on shifts. We are committed to providing a response and I feel that I do not have the ability to provide that response if several incidents occur simultaneously.”
The official responsible for first aid added: “This week there was a discussion regarding manpower, about the shortage of an additional ambulance driver, and this affects the department’s ability to respond during an emergency. We are short five paramedics and there is no possibility of staffing Terminal 1, including the issue of not sending people to paramedic training.”
'Increase in safety incidents due to the manpower gap'
A senior official in the ground services division said that “the recruitment system and the transfer of employees between divisions will eventually collapse.” According to him, “The status of managers in the organization is low. There are excellent people in the division and if a manager says, ‘It won’t happen,’ that needs to be respected. Otherwise, we have to deal with the consequences. As a manager, I take responsibility, including for professional recommendations — and we are not respected. We did not receive the Production Council’s minutes and this created a problem for us. In my opinion, this is where the gap in employee recruitment stems from.”
A senior official in the operations department warned: “The serious incident will come. I am raising a red flag about the safety incidents. The statement about performing miracles is problematic. The veteran workforce is exhausted and the new workforce is unskilled. Operational equipment is not being maintained and aircraft are being assigned to unsuitable positions under risk management. This has been going on for a long time. The flight schedule is essentially a ‘recommendation’ for ground service companies and airlines, and requests for changes place a burden on the division’s other units, including last-minute tail connections.”
One of the senior managers in the operations division responded: “I am aware, and I am asking that we stop situations in real time when it is impossible to proceed and the risk is unacceptable. Send the data and we will hold a discussion on the matter, including consideration of solutions. I disagree with the statement regarding the flight schedule. Each airline received a letter from the airport manager before disciplinary proceedings. Actions are being taken and I agree that we have not reached the place we want to be.
“Regarding the fire department staffing standard, 16 firefighters per shift have been set, including the recruitment of 15 additional firefighters. A discussion is scheduled with the deputy director of administration and the airport manager.”
Operations at Ben Gurion Airport came to a halt on Thursday. Dozens of flights were canceled and hundreds more were delayed. About 100,000 passengers were affected by the disruptions, while the Finance Ministry estimated the damage to the economy at about 30 million shekels (about $8.5 million). Israel Airports Authority management blamed the workers’ committee for “work disruptions,” while the committee rejected the claim that it was a planned strike.
The Israel Airports Authority had not responded as of publication.