Ben Gurion Airport Strike: Disruptions and Future Concerns

Ben Gurion Airport continued to grapple with severe disruptions on Friday, a day after a sudden strike left thousands of travelers stranded. A senior aviation industry official told Israeli broadcaster N12 that "in the current situation, it's impossible to prevent a recurrence of yesterday's events," warning that another strike could occur during the upcoming school vacation period.

Throughout Friday morning, many passengers were forced to board flights without their checked luggage, as airlines chose to dispatch aircraft empty of cargo to minimize delays. In the arrivals hall, Israelis returning home faced waits exceeding 90 minutes to retrieve their baggage.

El Al, Israel's flag carrier, was forced to cancel a flight from New York to Israel after passengers had already boarded the aircraft. The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 10:40 p.m. but was delayed until 1:00 a.m. Because the plane would not have been able to land in Israel before the start of Shabbat, the flight was canceled entirely.

In a statement, El Al said: "Due to concerns about delays or non-arrival of luggage for departing passengers, resulting from the strike by Ben Gurion Airport workers, El Al announces it will allow any customer who chooses not to fly today to receive a voucher for future use. Although the disruptions are not El Al's responsibility and are beyond its control, the company has decided to take this service-oriented step out of consideration for its customers and the uncertainty that has been created."

Arkia, another Israeli carrier, announced similar measures. In a company statement, Arkia said: "Following the strike by Ben Gurion Airport workers, significant delays have occurred in the flight schedule, both for flights departing from Israel and flights making their way to Ben Gurion. As a result, there may be flights that will not manage to take off or land before the start of Shabbat."

The airline clarified that "passengers who request not to fly due to the changes will be able to receive a voucher for future use. The company is working with all available means to reduce delays and restore operations to normal. The flight schedule is expected to stabilize gradually and only toward the nighttime hours."

According to estimates from Israel's Finance Ministry, the economic damage to the economy from Thursday's strike is estimated at between 25 and 30 million shekels (approximately $7-8 million). Aviation industry sources estimated that the flight schedule would only return to full normal operations at midnight, and to bridge the gaps created, most planes departing during the day left without passengers' luggage.

Ben Gurion Airport even topped the global ranking of airports suffering from the most severe disruptions, according to Flightradar24, a worldwide aviation monitoring website, with a maximum score of 5.0 for both arrivals and departures.