Travelers who arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday after it reopened for outgoing flights discovered that although they had purchased tickets, they were still unable to board their flights.
The confusion over the guidelines led to significant anger among passengers, with shouting and pushing that even required police intervention.
The problem stemmed from the fact that the wartime guidelines were changed dramatically overnight. Yesterday, airlines were authorized to increase the number of passengers on each flight from 100 to 200. In line with this, the companies began selling additional tickets to hundreds of customers on waiting lists.
However, without warning, during the night, the change to the guidelines was reversed, and the limit remained at 100 passengers per flight, leaving hundreds with a ticket for flights that did not have enough seats for them.
When the passengers arrived at the check-in counter, the airlines had to decide in real-time who would board the plane and who would be left behind.
Videos filmed at the airport show scenes of total chaos. "There are elderly people here. Why are you doing this? Take responsibility," one passenger could be heard shouting at an airline employee.