Hundreds of Suitcases Remain in the Sun a Week After Sudden Strike at Ben Gurion Airport

A week after a sudden strike disrupted operations at Ben Gurion Airport, hundreds of suitcases remain outside the terminal, exposed to the August heat. The luggage includes bags of passengers who flew without their belongings on the strike day, as well as unclaimed and delayed suitcases from other flights. During the strike, baggage transfer to the sorting system was halted, causing many flights to depart without passenger luggage. Even after the strike ended and airport activity resumed, some flights continued to leave without suitcases.

The strike caused extensive delays throughout the airport, with passengers reporting hours-long waits at baggage claim areas and others stranded inside terminals, planes, and even foreign airports. The strike ended at 3:00 PM, and flight operations gradually resumed, but disruptions persisted.

In response to the strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the dismissal of Pinchas Eidan, chairman of the Airport Authority workers' union, from the Likud party. Subsequently, Yiftah Ron-Tal, chairman of the Airport Authority Council, sought legal advice on possibly canceling Eidan's contract extension. Eidan defended the union, attributing the crisis to staff shortages and worker burnout, denying claims that the union ordered the airport closure.

The Airport Authority's operations center stated that the suitcases are sorted in a designated area allocated by the Airport Authority, emphasizing that the time between sorting completion and loading onto transport is very short to return luggage to passengers as quickly as possible. Unclaimed suitcases are expected to be sent to passengers' homes soon.