Strike Halts Landings at Ben Gurion Airport, Causing Major Delays and Traffic Jams

Ben Gurion Airport was closed to landings for one hour on Thursday due to a strike by airport workers. The Israel Airports Authority reported that after employees ceased operations, check-in counters were shut down and the airport halted landing activity. The airport began gradually reopening for landings from 3:00 PM, but delays and disruptions continued. The strike caused severe congestion, with parking entrances blocked and thousands of vehicles stuck in traffic or parked along roads. Several flights already en route to Israel turned back to their origin countries due to the closure.

This disruption occurred on one of the busiest days of the year, with nearly 100,000 passengers and 600 flights scheduled. Pilots and airlines received a NOTAM notice around noon that the airport would close to landings at 2:00 PM, while takeoffs would continue at a slower pace. The Israel Airports Authority stated that air traffic would be reduced starting at 2:00 PM until landings stopped completely, with takeoffs continuing gradually according to updated schedules. Activity resumed progressively from 3:00 PM.

The Histadrut Transportation Workers Union denied issuing any strike orders, blaming the chaos on severe and ongoing staff shortages and inadequate preparations for summer passenger volumes. They said warnings about insufficient manpower had been repeatedly ignored by airport management and the Transport Ministry, resulting in the current crisis. The union emphasized that airport workers are overburdened and cannot sustain operations under such conditions.

The Israeli aviation sector is currently facing significant challenges including major delays and unusual congestion at Ben Gurion, partly due to fuel tanker parking issues at the airport, air traffic congestion in Greece, and manpower shortages. Despite the turmoil, Transport Minister Miri Regev is in Marrakesh for the relaunch of Arkia’s Morocco route. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Regev visited the airport just the day before the strike, where operations appeared to be functioning normally.

Arkia announced delays to flights to Barcelona, Corfu, Athens, Paris, Tbilisi, Rome, and Paphos, while flights to Prague and Tivat proceeded despite the strike. Additionally, Air France and LOT Polish Airlines flights turned back mid-air due to the airport closure.