Israel's Ben Gurion airport to shut down for Yom Kippur

On the holiest day in the year for Jews, airport to suspend operations from Tuesday, October 4 at 2pm to Wednesday, October 5 at 13.30 pm; airport authority chief says Ben Gurion braces for over 2 million passengers in October, for High Holiday season
Shiri Hadar|
Ben Gurion Airport will shut down on Tuesday, on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • All operations will be suspended as of 2p.m. on October 4 and resume only at 10:30p.m. on October 5. with the first scheduled flight to depart Israel scheduled for 11.30 pm.
    2 View gallery
    מגדל הפיקוח של נתב"ג
    מגדל הפיקוח של נתב"ג
    Ben Gurion airport
    (Photo: Shiri Hadar)
    In the hours before the airport is to shut, some 45,000 people are expected to leave or arrive.
    During October and the Jewish High Holidays, authorities expect over 2 million passengers to pass through the airport, where the record for the month stands on 2.2 million in 2019, before the COVID pandemic.
    During the week long Sukkot Holiday, which will begin o October 9, authorities expect some 81,000 passengers.
    2 View gallery
    נתב"ג טרמינל 3 תורים צ'ק אין המראות
    נתב"ג טרמינל 3 תורים צ'ק אין המראות
    Long queues in Ben Gurion airport
    (Photo: Shiri Hadar)
    Airport administrators said they were increasing staff to accommodate the increase in traffic, after post pandemic months have been marred by long lines and lost luggage.
    Departing passengers are urged to arrive no less than three hours before their flight is scheduled to leave, and prepare their boarding passes on line.
    Israel Airports Authority director, Chagai Topolansky said the goal is for Ben Gurion International Airport to become fully digitized.
    “Terminal three in Ben Gurion Airport will go through a digitization process starting next year which will allow to manage the boarding process autonomously.”
    Comments
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""