Lina Altawell
21 August 2026•Update: 21 August 2026
Israel’s Finance Ministry estimates the economic damage from a labor strike at Ben Gurion Airport at 25 million to 30 million shekels ($8.3 million-$10 million), Israeli media reported Thursday.
Ynet, citing a preliminary assessment by the ministry, said the damage includes the loss of passenger time, direct and operational costs to airlines, loss of revenue for the Israel Airports Authority and airport operators, cargo and logistics disruption, supply chain damage, and losses to tourism and hospitality.
Operations at Ben Gurion Airport had resumed earlier after being halted for roughly one hour when a labor dispute forced all check-in counters to close.
“According to the ministry, the cause of the damage stems from the following problems: Israel’s aviation infrastructure capacity is very limited, the national aviation infrastructure depends on a single operator only and the workers’ committee prevents efficiency, flexibility and airport development,” Ynet reported.
Several flights en route to Tel Aviv had been forced to turn around and return to their countries of origin as operations at the airport were scaled down due to the closure of check-in counters.
Employees of four ground services companies that operate at the airport had also reportedly halted work.
The disruptions came during one of the busiest periods of the year, when the airport handles approximately 100,000 passengers and around 600 flights per day.