'Israel’s' Ben Gurion Airport halts operations amid labor dispute
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- Ben Gurion Airport in ‘Israel’ stopped operations at 2 p.m. Thursday amid a labor dispute that disrupted check-in and ground services.
- The shutdown came during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, affecting hundreds of flights and tens of thousands of passengers.
Ben Gurion Airport in ‘Israel’ halted operations at 2 p.m. local time Thursday amid a labor dispute that had already shut down all check-in counters, according to ‘Israeli’ media.
The ‘Israel’ Airports Authority and air traffic authorities reportedly warned airlines in advance that the airport would close.
Several flights heading to Tel Aviv were forced to turn around and return to their countries of origin as airport operations were scaled back following the closure of check-in counters.
Employees at four ground-services companies operating at Ben Gurion also reportedly stopped working, further disrupting passenger services.
The disruption came during one of the busiest periods of the year, with the airport handling around 100,000 passengers and approximately 600 flights each day during the peak travel period.
The ‘Israel’ Airports Authority said the work stoppage, carried out under instructions from a workers’ committee, had significantly affected airport operations and passenger services.
The authority called on employees to immediately end the stoppage to restore normal operations.
It warned that if the disruption continued, it would seek intervention from the courts.
‘Israeli’ Transportation Ministry officials warned that airport employees could face dismissal if the work stoppage was determined to be part of a deliberate slowdown, according to Ynet.
‘Israeli’ Transportation Minister Miri Regev instructed ministry Director-General Moshe Ben Zaken to immediately address the situation.
The labor dispute adds to growing pressure on Ben Gurion Airport during the peak summer travel season, with the disruption threatening further flight cancellations, delays and uncertainty for passengers.
