IDF Airport Workers' Union Chief Warns of Strikes Amid Ben Gurion Airport Chaos

Despite denials from Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Airport Authority Workers' Union, preparations are underway for further strikes and severe disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport this week. Around 100,000 passengers are expected daily, raising concerns about operational chaos during the busy period ahead. An insider described Idan as unpredictable, making it difficult to anticipate his next moves.

Idan strongly denied that workers initiated strikes or slowdowns, blaming the Airport Authority management for the crisis and warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Merav Cohen that without immediate staff reinforcements, the airport will not manage the upcoming Jewish High Holidays. He highlighted the extreme working conditions, including 13-hour shifts in stressful environments, leading to physical injuries among employees.

Conversely, a senior official from the Transportation Ministry accused Idan of orchestrating the shutdown of screening systems, calling it an irresponsible unilateral act that holds hundreds of thousands of travelers hostage and harms the Israeli economy. The official warned that the Airport Authority would not tolerate such disruptions and that Idan would bear full legal responsibility for damages caused.

The tensions escalated after severe disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport, including halted operations, delayed flights, and lost luggage, which the Airport Authority attributed to union directives. The Transportation Workers' Union denied any official work stoppage, attributing the crisis to chronic understaffing and inadequate summer preparations. In response, Netanyahu ordered the airport to remain fully operational and threatened to dismiss anyone obstructing its function. He also filed a petition to expel Idan from the Likud party, accusing him of timing the strike to politically damage Netanyahu, Minister Cohen, and the Likud movement.

Idan's letter to Netanyahu and Cohen demanded urgent government intervention to resolve the staffing shortage and protect workers' health and dignity, emphasizing that without immediate reinforcements, the airport cannot cope with the holiday season. The ongoing conflict underscores a deepening labor crisis at Israel's main international gateway amid peak travel demand.