Disruptions at Ben-Gurion Airport continue with missing baggage, canceled flights

On Friday, Ben-Gurion Airport faced ongoing disruptions, marked by missing luggage and canceled flights, as the Histadrut labor federation and the Airport Authority Workers Union continued to deny responsibility for Thursday's surprise strike. Despite the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) stating that employees would return to full operations following a meeting between IAA Chairman Maj.

Gen. (res.) Yiftah Ron Tal, CEO Sharon Kedmi, and workers committee chairman Pinchas Idan, thousands of passengers still found their suitcases at the airport. These suitcases were either not loaded onto flights departing from Israel or not transferred to arriving passengers. Thousands of Israelis who traveled abroad for expensive vacations over the past 24 hours returned without clothes or personal belongings, with their luggage either not sent to their destinations or awaiting transfer.

Disruptions in luggage delivery continued throughout the day, with some passengers waiting up to three hours for their baggage. El Al flights experienced delays of one to two hours on Friday due to the interruptions from Thursday. One El Al flight from New York to Ben-Gurion was canceled after passengers had already boarded, as the airline deemed the flight would depart after Shabbat.

Passengers were instead accommodated at El Al's expense. Two other New York-bound flights were scheduled to arrive after 4 p.m., meaning Shabbat-observant passengers had to decide between waiting for their luggage or attempting to leave the airport before Shabbat. Arkia airlines reported significant flight schedule delays following the strike, with potential flights unable to take off or land before Shabbat.

The airline offered passengers flight vouchers and recommended checking their website for updates before arriving at the airport.