Ben Gurion Airport Braces for Busiest Day of Year Amidst Holiday Travel Surge
Ben Gurion Airport anticipates its busiest day of the year on Thursday, expecting approximately 100,000 passengers and 600 flights. This surge is attributed to the peak of the September travel season, coinciding with the Jewish holidays. The Israel Airports Authority has increased staffing to manage the expected congestion. Throughout September, the airport is projected to handle around 2.5 million travelers.
Popular destinations include Greece, Cyprus, Italy, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. This period of high activity follows weeks of significant disruptions at the airport caused by workforce shortages, particularly in baggage and cargo services, which led to flight delays and baggage handling issues. The crisis peaked on August 20th, causing complete shutdowns of check-in areas and temporary landing freezes, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene and threaten dismissals for those hindering airport operations.
In related news, low-cost airline Wizz Air announced this week an expansion of its operations in Israel, launching new European routes. The airline had previously suspended flights multiple times last year due to the conflict with Iran.
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