Ben Gurion Airport Faces Major Disruption During Israeli Holidays
Translated & summarized from Cursorinfo by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Over 50% of flights at Ben Gurion Airport were delayed or canceled during autumn holidays.
- Average delay was 92 minutes, with 40 flights canceled between Sept. 21-27.
- Budget airlines Blue Bird and TUS Airways reported very low on-time performance.
- El Al's punctuality was significantly better than budget and some local carriers.
- Ground handling staff shortages and infrastructure issues were cited as causes.
During Israel's autumn holidays, Ben Gurion Airport experienced significant disruptions, with over half of all flights departing or arriving failing to adhere to their schedules. Between September 21 and 27, only 46.3% of 3,199 flights departed or arrived on time. The average delay stretched to 92 minutes, and 40 flights were canceled entirely. Passengers faced extended waits at Ben Gurion and abroad, often receiving updated information through mobile apps before airport display boards.
Some delays were caused by technical issues. An Israir flight from Athens returned due to a malfunction. After repairs, some passengers refused to re-board, leading to baggage unloading and a pilot duty-time limit, forcing a day-long postponement. Arkia passengers traveling to Athens also experienced overnight delays and lost hotel bookings.
Budget airlines showed the poorest punctuality. Blue Bird had only 14.4% of flights on time with an average delay of 151 minutes, while TUS Airways managed 19.2% with a 163-minute average delay. Local carriers Arkia and Israir reported 26% and 32.5% on-time flights, respectively. In contrast, El Al achieved 61.3% on-time flights, and Etihad Airways led with 83.1%.
Arkia CEO Oz Berlovich attributed the problems to ground handling logistics and staff shortages at Ben Gurion, creating a domino effect of delays. El Al's self-service ground operations may explain its better performance. Airlines cited infrastructure limitations and slot shortages as ongoing challenges to flight stability during peak periods.
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