Ben Gurion airspace said closed intermittently over ‘security operation’
Unexplained event causes major delays with thousands of passengers waiting for their flights
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The Defense Ministry on Monday reportedly ordered the Israel Airports Authority to impose intermittent closures of the airspace above Ben Gurion International Airport, following what some Hebrew media described as a “security incident.”
As a result of the order, which was said to be in effect for three hours, a large number of flights were delayed and passengers were advised to check their departure times before arriving at the airport.
No details of the reason behind the unusual measure were given. Channel 10 reported that an expected event that led to the closure order did not end up taking place.
The IAA later denied that there was any closure of the airspace.
“The skies are not closed. There is not and there was not a security incident at Ben Gurion International Airport. The skies are open and were not closed for even a minute,” it said.
However, the departure board at the airport showed several delayed flights.
The delays further contributed to already large crowds at the airport, which traditionally pick up during the summer travel season.
The last known restriction on flights at Ben Gurion occurred in November 2015, when runways at the airport were briefly closed due to a heavy sandstorm.
Earlier Monday, thousands of Israelis arriving at Ben Gurion Airport were greeted by excessively long lines, with those lacking Israeli biometric passports forced to wait in lines stretching past the inspection hall up toward the arrival gates.
The Times of Israel Community.