Anyone who visited Ben Gurion Airport in the past month could observe the crowds of travelers passing through Israel’s main gateway that reached an all-time high. After two slow years in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the airport has been busier than ever before in Israel’s history.
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About 2.8 million people passed through Ben Gurion Airport during August, marking a jump of about 24% compared to the same time last year.
August wraps up a busy summer with some 5.3 million passengers landing and departing through Ben Gurion Airport, even before the Jewish High Holidays in September. In fact, about 15 million passengers passed through the airport since the beginning of the year, and according to estimates, another 10 million are expected to do the same by 2024.
The preferred destinations for Israelis in August were mostly a short distance away, in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus, although some took advantage of the summer vacation to visit the United States and France.
The increase in passengers was felt not only by those traveling but by employees as well. Ground crews, maintenance teams, and others were stretched to their limits. Ynet received a behind-the-scenes glimpse of one of the busiest places in the country.
The control tower at the Ramon International Airport outside Eilat, is the hub of activity. "We welcome the work," an air traffic controller said, "I prefer busy days like these, where we work hard compared to the days of COVID when the airport was fairly inactive."
While workers in the control tower hurry to move planes to various spots in the airport’s operational area. Down below, in the hot sun, dozens labor on loading and unloading luggage onto and off the planes. "We're working like an assembly line this time of year," one baggage handler said. "We have one goal, to get planes out on time.
"It's hard work, but it's satisfying," said another handler "Passengers want to receive their suitcases on time when they land, and the plane needs to take off on time with all its suitcases onboard.”