Ben Gurion Airport Chaos: Staff Walkout Led to Terminal Shutdown

New details have emerged regarding the unusual chaos at Ben Gurion Airport on August 20th, which led to the shutdown of the baggage handling system. An investigative committee presented its initial findings to the Airports Authority board, focusing on the sequence of events that caused the disruption. According to the presented findings, baggage sorting staff left their posts earlier than scheduled and did not work the agreed-upon overtime hours. This created a backlog in the sorting system, and the authority feared that continuing to accept luggage would cause further severe disruptions.

At this point, Ben Gurion Airport manager Zohar Gafen ordered a halt to baggage transport and the closure of check-in counters. The review presented to the board stated that this decision was made given the circumstances and was "correct and appropriate." However, these findings were met with opposition. Pinhas Idan, chairman of the Airports Authority workers' union, interrupted the discussion, claiming the findings were "known in advance." Idan himself confirmed after the incident that he had instructed employees to end their shifts after nine hours and not continue for an additional three.

Conversely, he emphasized that the airport manager was the one who ordered the closure of check-in counters. "A departure of 12-20 baggage handlers is really not a reason to close Ben Gurion Airport," he argued at the time. The Airports Authority management countered that the employees knew in advance about a 12-hour shift, including overtime, and that their early departure created a situation where it was impossible to continue accepting luggage without worsening the crisis. "When twenty baggage handlers are not present, we cannot continue check-in, the luggage gets mixed up, and there is no one to load it onto the planes."

These are currently only preliminary findings. The committee is continuing its work, and no individual conclusions have been reached yet. The final report is expected to be submitted only after the investigation is complete.