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Hundreds of passengers travelling from Israel’s international airport were forced on Sunday to board their flights without luggage due to a malfunction of the baggage handling system at the height of summer vacation season.
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The malfunction at Ben Gurion Airport's Terminal 3 was fixed after 10 hours and caused delays in the departure and arrival times of dozens of flights.
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A malfunction of the baggage handling system causes chaos at Ben Gurion Airport
(צילום: שאול גולן)
Hundreds of suitcases - belonging to travelers who had boarded the flights without their luggage - will be flown to their owners on separate flights at a later date.
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A malfunction of the baggage handling system causes chaos at Ben Gurion Airport
(צילום: שאול גולן)
“We were told to take all the important things with us because our luggage might be delivered to us only days later,” said Avi, who’s travelling to Italy. “It’s terrible mismanagement.”
Aarona, who boarded a flight to Bucharest, Romania on Sunday morning, said the airport officials had asked her to leave her suitcase behind when she was boarding the flight. "I was told to put the suitcase aside because the conveyor system broke down,” she said.
3 View gallery
A malfunction of the baggage handling system causes chaos at Ben Gurion Airport
(צילום: שאול גולן)
“If the suitcase doesn't arrive it's going to be a mess … there are things I’ve invested a lot in,” she added.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that "Ben Gurion Airport is currently taking care of the malfunction in the handling system.”