Chaos at Ben-Gurion: statistics of flight delays and cancellations

The autumn holidays in Israel led to a transportation collapse at Ben-Gurion Airport: out of 3,199 flights between September 21 and 27, only 46.3% departed on time, with an average delay of 92 minutes and 40 flights canceled. The worst performance was by budget airlines Blue Bird (14.4% on time) and TUS Airways (19.2%), while the best were Etihad (83.1%) and El Al (61.3%). The cause of the disruptions is a shortage of ground handlers and personnel.

The autumn holidays in Israel resulted in a serious transportation collapse at Ben-Gurion Airport. According to statistics for the period from September 21 to 27, out of 3,199 flights, only 46.3% departed on time. The average delay was 92 minutes, and the total number of canceled flights reached forty. Passengers spent long hours in the terminals, and information boards often failed to update data. The worst discipline was shown by budget airlines: Blue Bird had only 14.4% of flights on schedule with an average delay of 151 minutes, and TUS Airways had 19.2% with an average delay of 163 minutes. Local carriers Arkia and Israir operated 26% and 32.5% of flights on time, respectively. Against this backdrop, the national airline El Al stood out favorably, with 61.3% of flights on time. The best result was demonstrated by Etihad Airways with a rate of 83.1%. Arkia CEO Oz Berlovich explained that the root of the problem lies in logistical failures on the ground: ground handling is done by third-party operators, and a shortage of personnel at the start of the day triggers a chain reaction of delays. Unlike its competitors, El Al services its own aircraft, which explains its high performance.