Ben Gurion Officials Say Situation Getting Better

By Shimon B. Lifkin

YERUSHALAYIM — After months of chaotic overcrowding, cancellations and delays, Ben Gurion Airport declared on Monday that the situation is improving.

“The departure process for plane passengers has been shortened by about an hour despite the rise in the number of passengers leaving the country,” according to the Israel Airports Authority (IAA).

It said that pre-flight procedures currently take an average of 100 minutes, compared with 160 minutes in June, “from entry into the terminal to boarding the flight.”

The data is even better for passengers who do check-in online and arrive at the airport with just carry-ons, for whom the average departure time has fallen from 33 minutes to just 20 minutes, “from entering the airport to duty free.”

The IAA added that many are taking advantage of the early check-in option, reflected in the fact that the number of suitcases not loaded onto the plane at Ben Gurion fell 70% in July.

More than 2.1 million passengers passed through Ben Gurion Airport in July, with an some 2.4 million projected for August. This is a rise in passenger traffic over recent months and is rapidly catching up to the record 2019 figures before the Covid pandemic, when there were 2.8 million passengers in both July and August.

The airport, like much of the industry worldwide, was overwhelmed by the surge in customer demand after pandemic travel restrictions were lifted, as it faced manpower shortages due to laid off workers who did not return and other issues.