The Israeli Ben Gurion International Airport announced that 600 employees were placed on unpaid leave, and that the job duties of another thousand workers were reduced to 75% due to the financial crisis it is facing, after receiving a strong economic blow as a result of the war on the Gaza Strip, according to what the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on Monday. About the Israeli Airports Authority.
The authority stated that the Airports Authority held a dialogue today with workers in several departments at Ben Gurion Airport, in which it announced its decision to grant unpaid leave and reduce the work of others.
She pointed out that the number of workers at Ben Gurion Airport is 4,600 employees, but after these decisions, only about 3,000 employees will remain, after the jobs of about a thousand of them were reduced to partial jobs.
Global demand for travel has decreased significantly since the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Palestinian resistance, led by the Al-Qassam Brigades, on the 7th of last October against the Israeli occupation in the Gaza envelope area. Following the operation, Israel launched continuous bombardment on the Gaza Strip, which has entered its 73rd day, causing… More than 19,000 Palestinians were martyred and 52,000 others were injured.
The majority of international companies have suspended their flights to and from the airport since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
The authority quoted the Israeli Airports Authority as saying that despite the sharp decline in air traffic to and from Israel as a result of the war, the Airports Authority has so far refrained from taking a section of workers on unpaid leave.
In light of these conditions, and in coordination with the Labor Union, it was decided to put a section of employees on unpaid seasonal leave, and the Airports Authority administration is working to return international airlines to Israel as soon as possible, according to the Authority.
She pointed out that the German company Lufthansa, which also includes the Swiss and Austrian companies, has already announced the renewal of its flights to and from Israel on January 8, 2024.
The Israeli Airports Authority added that other international companies are expected to return to flying to and from Israel, and “we hope that the scope of activity in Israel will continue to expand and that we will be able to return workers to their jobs as soon as possible.” Accordingly, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority considered that Ben Gurion International Airport had suffered a strong economic blow.
