Significant delays were reported at Ben Gurion Airport on Friday, with passengers reporting hours-long setbacks.

Passengers reported that some departing flights were not taking off after boarding, due to luggage not being loaded onto the aircraft. In other cases arrivals were waiting long hours for their suitcases at baggage claim. Yet other cases were reported in which flight departures to Israel were delayed, with passengers told congestion at Ben Gurion was to blame.

In a statement, the Israel Airports Authority blamed a confluence of factors, including the ongoing presence of American refueling tankers at the airport.

In a statement, the IAA said that it experienced a crunch of 90 flights in a three-hour period driven by the high volume of summer flight traffic, coupled with traffic congestion over Greece — the main flight route from Israel to Europe — and the limitations brought on by the many US refueling planes parked at the airport due to the conflict with Iran.

“When a large number of flights arrive in close........

© The Times of Israel