A sudden labor strike brought operations at Ben-Gurion Airport to a standstill Thursday afternoon, grounding flights, shutting down check-in counters and throwing the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers into turmoil during one of the busiest periods of the summer.

The work stoppage ended at approximately 3 p.m., about an hour after employees closed all check-in counters and declared a “crisis” over severe operational problems, difficulties loading and unloading aircraft and a shortage of available parking stands.

The disruption was expected to have lingering consequences even after employees returned to work. According to N12 News, most flights scheduled to leave Ben-Gurion on Thursday were expected to depart without passengers’ luggage.

Flights had been grounded beginning at 2 p.m., with the Israel Airports Authority saying that union-ordered work disruptions had interfered with airport operations and services for travelers.

The timing of the shutdown was particularly disruptive, with approximately 100,000 passengers expected to travel through Ben-Gurion on Thursday. Compounding the airport’s logistical difficulties, more than 20 American refueling aircraft were occupying parking stands near Terminals 1 and 3.

The presence of the additional aircraft has increased the amount of time required to transport baggage between the terminals and planes. It has also complicated the movement of passengers who must be shuttled to and from aircraft parked away from jet bridges.

The Public Transport Authority said management had instructed workers to “immediately cease any action that harms regular work and to restore operations to full routine.

The Authority views with utmost severity any deliberate action liable to harm the traveling public and the proper functioning of Ben-Gurion Airport, especially during summer peak loads and high operational volumes.”

The labor action reportedly had been planned for a day earlier. According to N12, workers initially intended to stage the strike Wednesday in an effort to interfere with Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s scheduled flight to Morocco.

By later Thursday, the financial consequences of the disruption were already being calculated. The Finance Ministry estimated that the strike caused between NIS 25 million and NIS 30 million in damage, Ynet News reported.

That estimate included the economic value of passengers’ lost time, additional expenses incurred by airlines, revenue lost by the Israel Airports Authority, disruptions to cargo and supply chains and broader costs to the tourism industry.

Pinchas Idan, who led the labor action, blamed airport management for imposing intolerable conditions on employees.

“They give us such hard labor; management has no shame – they are torturing the employees of Ben-Gurion.”

Reports indicated that airport personnel may have employed what is commonly called an “Italian” strike — also known as a “work-to-rule” or “slowdown” action — in which employees remain technically on the job and adhere strictly to regulations while deliberately slowing operations to the point that normal activity becomes extremely difficult or impossible.

Such tactics are frequently associated with employees whose ability to conduct a conventional strike is legally restricted, including air traffic controllers, customs personnel, baggage handlers and workers in other essential transportation positions.

Senior Transportation Ministry officials warned that there would be serious consequences if an investigation determines that employees deliberately conducted an Italian-style strike at the height of the summer travel season, saying that “heads will roll and workers will go home.”

“We are investigating the incident; we are in a peak period with refuelers present, but if the investigation reveals an Italian strike, we will act with a very heavy hand against whoever is behind this,” they said.