Ben Gurion Airport Workers' Chair Denies Strike Amid Chaos, Demands Inquiry

Pini Idan, chairman of the Airport Authority workers' committee, sharply responded to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich following severe disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport last week. In a strongly worded letter, Idan denied any strike or work stoppage initiated by the committee, accusing authorities of wrongly blaming the workers and demanding the establishment of an investigative committee to determine who actually ordered the halt in airport operations.

The chaos unfolded during peak travel season when baggage unloading was suddenly stopped, causing extensive delays for tens of thousands of passengers, flight cancellations lasting a full day, and overcrowded terminals. Smotrich publicly condemned the labor organizations, labeling the committees as "authoritarian communists" and accusing them of holding Israeli citizens hostage. He called for dismantling what he described as anarchic labor groups.

Idan’s personal letter to Smotrich, addressed respectfully as "my dear brother," expressed deep personal hurt over the accusations. He emphasized that no strike had been called by the local committee since 2006 and that the only strike in the past two decades was a general labor federation strike unrelated to internal disputes. Idan insisted the committee was unfairly scapegoated and highlighted staffing shortages and management failures within the Airport Authority but noted these issues alone should not have caused such a collapse.

He also referenced the airport’s resilience during intense wartime periods, expressing bewilderment at the sudden breakdown now. Idan concluded by urging a thorough investigation into the chain of command responsible for the operational stoppage and expressed disappointment over the hostile public discourse against him. Previously, Idan had been removed from the Likud party by Prime Minister Netanyahu following the recent disruptions, a decision he vowed to contest.

Industry insiders warn that without resolution, similar disruptions could recur, especially during the summer vacation period. Ben Gurion Airport was recently ranked as the most disrupted airport globally by the aviation monitoring site Flightradar24, scoring the highest level of operational disturbance.