About 4,000 air travelers will be affected by a general strike on Wednesday, as
Ben-Gurion Airport will close from 6 a.m. to noon.
The Israel Airports
Authority will operate a situation room to manage complications arising from the
labor action, as well as the handling of arriving and departing flights as soon
as service resumes.
Airlines will try to operate flights earlier than
planned to reduce the impact on passengers, as they did in the previous general
strike on November 7. Flight schedules will be updated during the day, and
airlines advise passengers to keep abreast of the latest
developments.
Flights scheduled close to the start time of the strike
will be moved up, with the earliest leaving at 4 a.m. instead of at 5.
Israel Airports Authority Director Pinhas Idan said two flights that will be
arriving from the United States around 7 a.m. would, however, be allowed to
land.
Flights scheduled for later in the morning will be postponed until
after noon. Due to the back-up created by the work action, delays are expected
even among regularly scheduled afternoon and evening flights.
El Al
announced changes on Tuesday in times for 15 of its flights from
Ben-Gurion.
“Passengers on morning flights, particularly those that have
been moved up, are asked to reach the airport earlier for security checks,” El
Al said. “We suggest arriving for security checks four hours prior to scheduled
takeoff.”
The company advised passengers to check-in on the airline’s
website and phone service for up-to-date information.
Arkia and Israir
have also announced changes.
The Airports Authority recommends checking
its website – www.iaa.gov.il – for updated information.
Globes
contributed to this report.