Hundreds of Suitcases Remain Uncollected at Ben Gurion Airport a Week After Strike

A week after a sudden strike disrupted operations at Ben Gurion Airport, hundreds of suitcases remain piled outside the terminal under the August sun. The luggage includes bags of passengers who flew without their belongings on the strike day, as well as delayed and unclaimed suitcases from other flights. On the day of 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 significant delays across the airport, with passengers reporting hours-long waits at baggage claim areas, inside terminals, on planes, and even at foreign airports. The strike concluded at 3 p.m., with arrivals and departures gradually resuming, but disruptions persisted beyond that.

In response to the strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the removal of Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Airport Authority workers' union, from his Likud party membership. Subsequently, Yiftah Ron-Tal, chairman of the Airport Authority Council, sought legal advice on possibly canceling Idan's one-year term extension. Idan attributed the crisis to staff shortages and worker burnout, denying claims that the union ordered the airport closure.

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

This ongoing baggage backlog highlights the lasting operational impact of the strike on Israel's main international airport and the challenges in restoring normal service.