Mass Layoffs At Israeli Airport, 600 Staff Placed On Unpaid Leave

Showing signs of weakening in the economic sectors, especially the tourism industry, Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport has put 600 employees on unpaid leave, Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Kan, said.

Kan reported that about 600 airport staff were placed on unpaid leave, and the working hours of 1,000 others had been reduced by 25 per cent, according to the Israeli Airport Authority.

“The Airports Authority held talks with workers in several departments at the airport, during which it announced its decision to place some staff on unpaid leave and reduce the workload of others,” Kan reported. As per the report, a meagre 3000 employees will work on a full-time basis, which was 46000 before the latest decision by the authority.

After the October 7 attack, most countries had suspended their flights from and to the airport, which compelled the authorities to implement mass layoffs in the airport.

Israel Airports Authority has however expressed their hope for expanding the scope of activities soon. In a statement, it said: “We hope that the scope of activity in Israel will continue to expand and that we will be able to get workers back to work as soon as possible.”

However, many in Israel are looking at the possibility of ending the war soon so that the work will return to full.