From the Liveblog of
Friday, August 21, 2026
Report: Ben Gurion union chief tried to keep Regev’s bags from being loaded on flight to Morocco
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Ben Gurion Airport’s union chief tried to keep Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s bags from being loaded onto her flight to Morocco on Wednesday, a day before an alleged wildcat strike threw the airport into chaos, according to a Channel 12 report.
The union chief, Pinchas Idan, has denied calling a wildcat strike yesterday, and blamed management for the turmoil at the airport — where check-in counters were closed and baggage handling shut down for more than an hour.
But according to the Channel 12 report, Idan took steps a day ahead of the strike to make Regev personally feel the effects of the airport’s staffing shortage.
Regev and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the airport on Wednesday and praised its staff. After that, Regev boarded a plane to Morocco, where she is currently on a trip.
In a bid to demonstrate the problems the airport is facing, according to the report, Idan instructed workers not to load Regev’s luggage onto the flight.
Arkia Airlines CEO Oz Berlowitz then reportedly instructed workers to load Regev’s luggage. Yiftach Ron Tal, head of the Airports Authority, delivered the same order. Idan reportedly saw a video of Ron Tal talking to the staffers, leading him to relent and have the luggage loaded.
The following day, according to the report, Ron Tal and Idan were scheduled to meet at 9 a.m., but Idan ditched the meeting, later claiming he wasn’t feeling well. The turmoil at the airport began shortly afterward.
Idan denies the report in a statement to Channel 12.
Now, delays and cancellations have continued at the airport more than a day after operations resumed, with the FlightRadar24 monitoring service showing it as the world’s most disrupted airport as of Friday evening local time.
Channel 12 reported that tens of thousands of Israelis are stuck abroad, and that many are without luggage.
In an effort to stem the delays, Israeli carriers El Al and Arkia are offering vouchers to passengers for future flights.
The delays are expected to cost some NIS 30 million ($10 million), according to the report.
The Times of Israel Community.