Massive delays expected at Ben Gurion after Rosh Hashanah
Air force drill to snarl holiday traffic, affecting tens of thousands on one of year’s busiest travel days, airport authority warns
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Passengers traveling through Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday are warned of flight delays on what is expected to be one of the busiest travel days in the history of Israel’s main international airport.
The Israel Airports Authority said Tuesday that an air force drill at the airport restricting a number of runways for commercial use, and heavier than usual holiday traffic after the Rosh Hashanah holiday, would likely affect the 450 flights scheduled to take off or land Wednesday.
Ben Gurion is bracing for the arrival or departure of some 77,000 passengers, the IAA said, just shy of its all-time record of 78,900 passengers who traveled through the airport in August 2015.
The authority warned the delays would likely affect the 40,00 ultra-Orthodox Israelis returning to Israel from the annual pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nachman in Ukraine on Wednesday.
The authority said the tens of thousands scheduled to depart Israel that day could also be delayed.
“We urge the public to update themselves with their airline, and ask for a lot of patience and tolerance,” the IAA said.
According to the Globes business journal Globes, 1.7 million passengers are slated to pass through Ben Gurion Airport during the holidays, an 8% increase from 2015.
The Times of Israel Community.