After mutual accusations: Israel Airports Authority to establish an investigation committee for the disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport
The Israel Airports Authority is launching an internal investigation into the massive disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport. Several foreign airlines are considering legal action due to significant financial losses.
Following a day of mutual accusations in the wake of the massive disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport, the Israel Airports Authority has decided to investigate the incident via an "investigation committee" headed by the Authority's internal auditor. Additionally, it has come to the attention of News 13 that a number of foreign airlines are considering suing Ben Gurion Airport due to the heavy losses they incurred as a result of flight cancellations.
The decision follows the directive of the Authority's chairman, Major General (res.) Iftach Ron-Tal, who spoke this morning with Minister of Transport Miri Regev and received her approval to initiate the procedure. According to estimates, since the airport is equipped with cameras, the investigation committee will be able to quickly discover and understand who actually led to the closure of the check-in counters.
Earlier today, the chairman of the Israel Airports Authority workers' union, Pinhas Idan, denied reports of an organized strike by the Authority's employees. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Transport Miri Regev, he clarified:
"The incident that occurred yesterday was not a stroke of fate, but a direct result of a unilateral, provocative, and irresponsible management decision."
"It is important for me to clarify and debunk in the clearest and most unequivocal way the rumors: there was no strike yesterday, no work-to-rule strike, and no planned sanctions whatsoever," wrote Idan, pointing an accusing finger at the Authority's management, which ignored warnings about the shortage of manpower in the baggage handling system: "Instead of showing leadership and managing the situation responsibly, the management chose a forceful step to proactively close the counters, create an artificial crisis on the backs of the passengers, and point a false accusing finger at the workers who saved the airport from collapse."
