Israel's Ben Gurion Airport Sees Widespread Delays During Holiday Week

During Israel's autumn holiday period, from September 21 to 27, over half of all flights arriving at or departing from Ben Gurion Airport were delayed, according to data from TLVFLIGHT. Out of 3,199 flights, only 46.3% departed or arrived on time, with an average delay of 92 minutes. A total of 40 flights were canceled during this week.

Passengers experienced significant disruptions, waiting for hours in airports both in Israel and abroad, often without clear information about their departure times. Some reported that airport display boards showed original departure times even when aircraft were significantly delayed. Consequently, travelers increasingly rely on flight-tracking apps to monitor their flights and learn about delays before official airport announcements.

Specific incidents highlighted the chaos. An Arkia flight from the Seychelles to Israel was delayed because the inbound aircraft was late departing Ben Gurion, but the departure board at Mahe Airport was not updated, and check-in counters remained closed. Another Israir flight from Athens to Tel Aviv had to return due to a technical issue. After repairs, some passengers opted not to fly, requiring their luggage to be unloaded. This process, combined with crew duty time limits, prevented the flight from departing that day. Israir provided passengers with vouchers and compensation, rescheduling the flight for the next day, emphasizing passenger safety.

Arkia also faced delays, with one flight to Athens initially scheduled for Friday evening eventually departing Saturday morning, causing some passengers to miss pre-paid hotel nights. The article attributes delays to various factors including air traffic congestion, weather, technical malfunctions, staff shortages, and cascading effects from earlier delays.

Analysis of specific airlines revealed significant differences in punctuality. Blue Bird had the lowest on-time performance at 14.4%, with an average delay of 151 minutes for delayed flights. TUS Airways followed with 19.2% on-time flights and the longest average delay of 163 minutes. Arkia managed 26% on-time flights, while Israir had 32.5%. In contrast, El Al performed better with 61.3% on-time flights and an average delay of 49 minutes. Wizz Air had 60.9% on-time flights, and Etihad Airways led with 83.1%.

Arkia's CEO, Oz Berlovich, explained that delays are often caused by ground operations at Ben Gurion, including runway congestion, insufficient ground staff, and crew working hour limitations. He noted that El Al's self-handling of ground services might explain its better performance. Israir acknowledged that while they strive for punctuality, many delay causes are beyond their control, such as flight permits, airport congestion, and ground handling services.