Ben Gurion Airport chaos foreseen: Officials warned of manpower shortages and safety risks

Minutes from a meeting held four days before operations at Ben Gurion Airport were halted reveal that senior Israel Airports Authority officials were aware of severe manpower shortages, employee burnout, and a rise in safety incidents. The airport's fire chief warned, "we are not prepared for an aviation emergency and do not meet operational readiness requirements," citing understaffing. The official responsible for first aid also noted a shortage of paramedics and ambulance drivers, impacting emergency response capabilities. A senior official in the operations department cautioned, "The serious incident will come. I am raising a red flag about the safety incidents." The workers' committee reported a shortage of 400-500 employees across all divisions, a claim the authority dismissed as an attempt to justify harm to the public. The disruptions on Thursday led to dozens of flight cancellations, hundreds of delays, and affected approximately 100,000 passengers.