Overview
- Ground‑services employees staged a work‑to‑rule slowdown that closed check‑in and baggage handling on Thursday and forced Ben‑Gurion to pause operations before arrivals and departures began resuming under a reorganized schedule about an hour later.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly condemned the action and Transportation Minister Miri Regev instructed Israel Airports Authority management to petition the Labor Court to seek immediate recourse.
- The Israel Airports Authority says the disruption followed orders from the IAA workers’ committee, while the Histadrut Transportation Workers Union denies any stop‑work order and blames manpower shortages and poor summer preparation.
- IAA board members have opened internal reviews of recent personnel decisions after reports that the workers’ committee chairman received an exceptional term extension and that the action was allegedly timed to target the transport minister, an allegation the chairman denies.
- Thousands of travelers faced long waits for luggage and crowded terminals during peak summer traffic, officials estimate heavy financial damage and investigators are watching for legal and operational fallout that could affect future airport staffing and oversight.