A disturbing phenomenon at Ben Gurion Airport at the peak of the tourist season: "Something unusual is happening here"
In recent days, a number of claims have been raised by passengers regarding long waits of hours at the baggage claim station. The Israel Airports Authority admits that there were isolated cases that caused this, but denies rumors of operational disruptions.
The summer season is at its peak, and new passenger records are being broken daily at Ben Gurion Airport. This week, about one hundred thousand passengers are expected to pass through the airport each day, on both departing and arriving flights combined.
In the last week, reports and complaints from passengers have increased regarding significant delays in baggage claim. According to testimonies received by 'Maariv', on several of the last nights, passengers were forced to wait over two hours from the moment of landing until receiving their suitcases.
"We returned during the night on an Arkia flight and waited for luggage for over two hours. Something unusual is happening here," said one passenger about the unusual load that awaited him.
Following an inquiry by the 'Maariv' team, the Israel Airports Authority confirms that there were indeed isolated cases where waiting times exceeded the normal range, but emphasized that this is not a phenomenon that reflects the ongoing activity at the airport. "In these days, alongside the intensive civilian activity, there is also the activity of dozens of fuelers, which adds to the airport's activity, already saturated in accordance with the peak of the summer season, and creates unplanned loads," the Authority stated.
In recent days, claims have arisen regarding a lack of manpower, and even Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Israel Airports Authority workers' committee, said:
"On paper, they say there is no shortage of workers, but they forgot to mention that there are 40 workers in the operations system who are in reserve duty, and another 40 workers who are injured or ill. Bottom line, we are missing one hundred workers."
Despite this, the Authority categorically rejected the claims of a manpower shortage and clarified that there is no shortage of workers at the airport.
