Ben-Gurion Airport Paralyzed — Dozens of Flights Delayed
On the morning of August 14, Ben-Gurion Airport faced an unusual overload: dozens of flights were delayed due to slower baggage handling. Passengers, including those on an Israir flight to Salzburg, are waiting on board, while arriving passengers complain of long waits for luggage. The Airports Authority denies a strike, attributing the situation to high load—about 90 flights in three hours. Measures are being taken to normalize operations.
On Friday morning, August 14, Ben-Gurion Airport experienced an unusual overload, causing delays for dozens of flights. The cause is slower baggage processing and loading. Passengers on some departing flights are already on board, but their luggage remains on the ground. In particular, passengers on an Israir flight to Salzburg, scheduled for 6:30 a.m., are waiting for service to continue. Arriving passengers also report long waits for baggage after landing. The Israel Airports Authority clarified that this is not a strike. According to the authority, over about three hours, the airport accumulated an unusually high load—about 90 flights—which directly affected baggage handling rates. Delays occurred both in loading baggage onto departing aircraft and in unloading it from arriving ones. The authority said measures are being taken to resolve the overload, with staff working to reduce delays and return the airport to normal operations. The situation affected a significant number of passengers due to the high concentration of flights in a short period.