Planned strike at Ben Gurion Airport called off

A labor strike that threatened to cancel large numbers of flights leaving Ben Gurion Airport starting Friday has been called off.

The Airports Authority says the strike was canceled after Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Histadrut Labor Federation head Avi Nissenkorn intervened and were able to convince union chief Pinhas Idan to delay any labor action until efforts are undertaken to reach a compromise.

The union threatened to strike over attempts by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri to allow local municipalities on which Ben Gurion Airport is built to take property taxes from the Airports Authority.

The new taxes could lead to mass layoffs at the airport, the union fears.