JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Takeoffs from Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport were halted on Thursday due to a sudden strike, according to a statement from the Israel Airports Authority and media reports.
As a result of the strike, all check-in counters were closed, security checks were suspended, baggage handling was halted, and aircraft parking bays were nearing capacity.
The strike also affected aircraft landings, with some flights facing delays of several hours. Due to the strike, the authority announced a gradual reduction in landings as well.
According to the authority, the strike began on one of the busiest days of the year, with around 100,000 passengers expected to pass through the airport.
It called on workers to immediately end any action disrupting operations and restore normal activity, adding that it "views seriously" any deliberate action that could endanger passengers, particularly amid the current high level of activity.
Pinchas Idan, leader of the strike, was quoted by The Jerusalem Post as saying, "They give us such hard labor; management has no shame -- they are torturing the employees of Ben-Gurion."
Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev said in a separate statement that she had instructed the authority to immediately petition the Labor Court to force the workers' union to stop the "thuggish" and "illegal" strike.
"Whoever decided to take tens of thousands of Israeli citizens hostage will pay a heavy price," she added. ■
