Disruptions again at Ben Gurion Airport: Railway power cable exploded
The train station at Ben Gurion Airport was evacuated and is currently out of operation following an unusual malfunction in which a power cable exploded. The Israel Airports Authority clarifies that despite the station's closure, check-in processes are continuing as usual. This event joins a series of disruptions at the airport, following last week's suspension of luggage acceptance due to massive congestion, and a surprise strike during the Minister of Transport's flight to Morocco.
It is happening again. Passengers seeking to arrive at or depart from Ben Gurion Airport are forced to deal with new disruptions this morning. A power cable belonging to Israel Railways exploded in the area of the station at Ben Gurion Airport, leading to its immediate shutdown.
Following the malfunction, the train station was evacuated of passengers and is not operating at this stage until the damage is repaired. The Israel Airports Authority was quick to clarify that despite the shutdown of the train system to the location, check-in processes in the passenger halls continue to operate as usual.
The current railway malfunction joins a series of severe disruptions that passengers have been experiencing at the airport in the recent period. Just last Thursday, in the midst of one of the busiest days of the summer vacation, exceptionally high loads were recorded that prevented the continuation of normal operations.
In an internal message distributed among employees and obtained by "HaYom", the teams at the airport were asked to completely stop registration for upcoming flights after the baggage sorting system collapsed and reached a state where it was unable to accept additional luggage. This collapse led to the shutdown of the airport for half a day on the busiest day of the year.
The turmoil and total chaos at Ben Gurion Airport broke out just one day after the Minister of Transport, Miri Regev, took off for a week-long visit to Morocco. At that time, a sudden strike in the check-in processes, which began under the guidance of the Israel Airports Authority workers' committee, caused additional severe disruptions and massive loads that affected thousands of passengers.
"Due to a localized malfunction currently being treated, there may be delays in train traffic to Ben Gurion Airport, Jerusalem, and Modiin. The train station at Ben Gurion Airport was not evacuated of passengers. The station continues to operate as usual," stated Israel Railways.
