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Israir

Israir Airlines Ltd., more commonly referred to as Israir, is an Israeli low-cost airline headquartered in Tel Aviv.[1] It operates domestic scheduled and air taxi flights from Ben Gurion International Airport, and Ramon Airport as well as scheduled and charter international services from Ben Gurion International Airport to Europe and Asia.[2] It also operates VIP flights, and is Israel's second largest airline after El Al, surpassing Arkia Israel Airlines during the coronavirus pandemic, employing some 350 staff.[2][3]

History

Foundation and early years

Israir Airlines was established in 1989 as Kanfei HaEmek (Valley Wings) before changing its name to Israir Airlines in 1996. It is now wholly owned by the Rami Levi Group. The airline began with domestic services from Eilat Airport, Ben Gurion International Airport, Sde Dov Airport, and Haifa Airport in the north of the country. It expanded its operations to begin international charter flights in 1999, building up a route network that now covers much of Europe, as well as regularly flying to other destinations in Asia, Africa, and North America. The airline is said to have modeled itself on US low-cost carrier JetBlue.[4]

The airline expanded operations across the Atlantic Ocean when regular charter service to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport was started in June 2004. Permission was granted to the airline to convert this to regular scheduled service by the Israeli government and the FAA on May 1, 2006.[5] This service was discontinued in September 2008, due to escalating fuel prices and the expectation of a drop in the number of passengers due to the weakness of the dollar at the time.[6] After Israir was granted permission to operate scheduled service on the lucrative New York-Tel Aviv route, it also entered talks with both Boeing and Airbus regarding the acquisition of new aircraft to its fleet and replacement of its existing jets. The company was said to be in talks with Airbus over the A350 wide-body model. It also signed a deal to acquire Airbus A320 narrow-body aircraft.[7] This was a significant milestone in Israeli aviation, as no airline had ever before purchased Airbus aircraft.[8] In April 2008, the airline received an Airbus A330 for its New York flights to replace the Boeing 767 aircraft it had previously been wet-leasing.[9] Israir however meanwhile no longer flies to New York and has since phased out all long-haul aircraft.

In early 2007, the airline announced plans to introduce Sky-Torah scrolls on each of its aircraft.[10] These were effectively Torah scrolls which would be carried on board its flight for Jewish passengers to use for prayer. This is a first for any Israeli airline and was seen by many as a means to attract many Haredi passengers to the airline at a time when they were showing great dissatisfaction with arch-rival, El Al, following their flying of aircraft on the Shabbat.[11] Later in 2007, an Israir passenger announced he was filing a lawsuit against the airline for misadvertising the legroom they offered on their aircraft.[12]

In early 2008, when restrictions were lifted on Israeli airlines' destinations, Israir applied for designated carrier status on routes from Israel to London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Amsterdam, Rome, Budapest, Las Vegas, and Miami – some of which were destinations served by the airline as charter routes back then.[13]

Developments since 2010

Israir received the first of the two ATR 72 aircraft it had on order in early July 2011 to replace the ATR 42, with the second one expected to follow later that month.[14] In 2014, the airline posted losses of 18.4 million shekel. On 25 May 2015, an Israir Airbus A320-200 has been seized by Portuguese authorities while in Lisbon over unpaid debts to Portuguese airline euroAtlantic Airways for a leasing contract in 2008.[15][16] Also in May 2015, El Al confirmed it was in talks to merge its subsidiary Sun D'Or into Israir. While Sun D'Or would be dissolved, El Al would gain shares in Israir instead.[17]

In October 2020, it was announced that the company is being auctioned off, the bids need to be submitted by November 8. On October 4, the first bid was submitted by Rami Levy and Shalom Haim through BGI Investments.[18][19] On October 13, Dubai-based NY Koen Group, headed by Naum Koen, has announced its intention to participate in the auction.[20][21][22]

Destinations

Codeshare partners

Israir has codeshare agreements with the following airline:

Fleet

As of August 2025, Israir operates the following aircraft:[60]

Israir announced during December 2025 that it would purchase two Airbus A330 aircraft for $74 million.[63]

Incidents and accidents

  • In June 2001, one of Israir's ATR 42-320 aircraft was damaged beyond repair following a heavy landing at Ben Gurion Airport. Despite the aircraft being written off, no passengers were injured in this incident.[64]
  • On July 6, 2005, a fully loaded Israir 767 accidentally taxied onto an active runway at JFK, and a Douglas DC-8 cargo aircraft narrowly avoided collision by taking off at full throttle above them, with only 45 feet of clearance over the 767.[65]
  • In May 2007, an Israir aircraft on a test flight was almost shot down by Israeli F-16 jets after it entered a demarcation zone where airlines are expected to identify themselves.[66]
  • Later that month, on May 23, an Israir flight had to make an emergency landing following smoke build up in the cabin on approach at Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport. No one was injured in the incident.[67]
  • In July 2008, an Israir aircraft flew from Eilat Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport with a small hole in its frame. The hole was discovered by mechanics at Ben Gurion and there was an investigation as to whether or not Israir knew of the hole, which, as it turns out, was caused by Israir workers in Eilat when they crashed a mobile staircase into the aircraft's body. The plane was scheduled to fly to Italy from Tel Aviv, and at an altitude of over 10,000 meters, the plane would most likely have experienced a decompression.[68]
  • In January 2025, an Israir aircraft that was meant to fly from Tel Aviv to London declared an emergency and returned to Ben Gurion International Airport after flying in circles for three hours to burn fuel before landing.[69]

External links

References

  1. "Contact Israir Airlines ." Israir Airlines. Retrieved on 23 September 2009. "Israir Airlines and Tourism Ltd. 23 Ben Yehuda Street"^
  2. About Israir Airlines Israir Airlines, retrieved 2007-05-08^
  3. Israir Airlines (Israel's Second Largest) YnetNews, 2006-12-28, retrieved 2007-05-05^
  4. Israir Airlines information Hoovers.com, retrieved 2007-05-12^
  5. Ben Mutzabaugh. More competition between Israel, New York USA Today, 2006-06-17, retrieved 2007-05-06^
  6. Dalia Tal. Israir to end New York flights Globes, 2008-08-06, retrieved 2008-08-08^
  7. Avi Krawitz. Israir Airlines to buy two Airbus A320s The Jerusalem Post, 2006-12-21, retrieved 2007-07-20^
  8. Airbus marks first breakthrough in the Israeli market with Israir Airlines A320 order Port2Port, 2007-04-23, retrieved 2007-05-06^
  9. Dalia Tal. Israir adds scheduled flights to New York Globes, 2008-03-20, retrieved 2008-03-20^
  10. Israir Airlines Introduces the 'Sky-Torah' PR Newswire, 2006-12-27, retrieved 2007-05-05^
  11. Flying Torah Airline Business, 2007-01-03, retrieved 2007-07-20^
  12. Carmel Ben-Zur. Customer files lawsuit against Israir Airlines over reduced legroom Haaretz, 2007-05-13, retrieved 2007-05-12^
  13. Israir seeks designated carrier status for US, European destinations Globes, 2008-02-11, retrieved 2008-02-11^
  14. Israir takes delivery of first ATR 72-500 Flightglobal.com, 12 June 2011, retrieved 13 June 2011^
  15. Fusion mit Chartertocher Sun D'Or: Israir nähert sich El Al an aeroTELEGRAPH, 27 May 2015, retrieved 14 August 2025^
  16. EuroAtlantic seizes Israir A320 over sour 2008 lease deal^
  17. Israel's el al confirms talks to merge Sun d'Or with Israir^
  18. Rami Levy opens bidding for Israir Globes, 2020-04-10, retrieved 2020-10-15^
  19. Rami Levy makes NIS 70 million offer to purchase Israir Airlines The Jerusalem Post, 5 October 2020, retrieved 2020-10-15^
  20. T. O. I. staff, Agencies. Dubai-based company to bid for purchase of Israir Airlines timesofisrael.com, 13 October 2020, retrieved 2020-10-15^
  21. Dubai-based NY Koen Group to bid for Israir Globes, 2020-10-13, retrieved 2020-10-15^
  22. אטילה שומפלבי, נווית זומר. איש העסקים היהודי ירכוש את ישראייר? "אולי נשנה את השם ל'ישרא-דובאי'" ynet, 2020-10-15, retrieved 2020-10-15^
  23. Jim Liu. Israir Adds Yerevan Service in NW22 AeroRoutes, 8 November 2022, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  24. Akbar Novruz. Heydar Aliyev International Airport expands route network with new flights Azernews.Az, 27 February 2025, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  25. New Direct Flight between Sarajevo and Tel Aviv soon The news portal “Sarajevo Times”, 15 February 2026, retrieved 16 February 2026^
  26. New Winter Escape: Israir Opens Route to Plovdiv, A Historic European Ski Hub PassportNews, 5 September 2025, retrieved 6 September 2025^
  27. Jim Liu. Israir Spring 2024 Leased A320 Operations AeroRoutes, 16 January 2024, retrieved 9 September 2025^
  28. Svetoslava Ingilizova. Israel remains a strategic market for Bulgarian tourism Fakti.bg - Да извадим фактите наяве, 30 July 2025, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  29. Israel starts direct flights to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh Middle East Monitor, 17 April 2022, retrieved 9 September 2025^
  30. Connor Sadler. Turkish Airlines Launches New Route to Rovaniemi, Finland AirlineGeeks.com, FLYING Media, 7 December 2019, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  31. Direct flights to Lapland from the end of January The Jerusalem Post, 13 September 2025, retrieved 13 September 2025^
  32. Jim Liu. Israir Schedules Limited-Time Nice Service in April 2023 AeroRoutes, 10 January 2023, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  33. Iris Lifshitz-Klieger. Must-visit European Christmas markets with direct flights from Israel Ynetglobal, 9 November 2024, retrieved 9 September 2025^
  34. Iris Lifshitz-Klieger. Israeli airlines expand summer 2026 routes with new flights to Europe, Asia and US Ynetglobal, ynetnews.com, 29 December 2025, retrieved 8 January 2026^
  35. אירה מקיינקו. לייפציג על המפה: ישראייר תפעיל טיסות ישירות במהלך אוגוסט פספורטניוז, PassportNews, 30 June 2025, retrieved 13 July 2025^
  36. Jim Liu. Israir Resumes Stuttgart Service in NS25 AeroRoutes, 27 January 2025, retrieved 27 January 2025^
  37. Jim Liu. Israir 1Q25 Leased Hello Jets Boeing 737 Network Overview Aeroroutes.com, 6 January 2025, retrieved 1 February 2025^
  38. Ούρι Σίρκις (Israir Airlines and Tourism): Σχέδια για περισσότερες πτήσεις και ξενοδοχεία στην Ελλάδα Ειδήσεις για την Οικονομία - newmoney, 3 June 2025, retrieved 9 September 2025^
  39. איתי אזולאי. ישראייר לא עוצרת: משיקה טיסות לשלושה יעדים חדשים פספורטניוז, PassportNews, 19 January 2025, retrieved 19 January 2025^
  40. Jim Liu. Israir Adds Iceland Service in 3Q22 AeroRoutes, 23 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  41. Iris Lifshitz-Klieger. Fashion show at 30,000 feet: Israir announces new Italian destinations with style ynetnews.com, Ynet Global, 7 December 2025, retrieved 8 December 2025^
  42. Jim Liu. Israir Adds Milan Bergamo in 1Q25 AeroRoutes, 25 November 2024, retrieved 25 November 2024^
  43. Israir NS22 Network Additions Update – 03Apr22 Aeroroutes, retrieved 4 April 2022^
  44. החל מ-300 דולר לכיוון: ישראייר תפעיל טיסות ישירות למילאנו פספורטניוז, PassportNews, 13 July 2025, retrieved 13 July 2025^
  45. Israir NS24 Leased Smartwings Boeing 737 Operations AeroRoutes, 21 March 2024, retrieved 21 March 2024^
  46. טיסות לורונה שבאיטליה, טיסה ישירה לורונה – ישראייר www.israir.co.il, Israir Airlines, retrieved 2 March 2025^
  47. International flights from Israel's Ramon Airport to restart in February JNS.org, Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), 7 January 2025, retrieved 9 September 2025^
  48. Michal Raz-Chaimovich. Israir to launch Haifa-Larnaca flights Globes, Israel business news, Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 12 May 2019, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  49. Dominik Sipinski. Philippines' LEASCOR acquires two ATR72-500s ch-aviation GmbH, 1 March 2023, retrieved 9 September 2025^
  50. Jim Liu. Israir NS25 European Network Additions AeroRoutes, 14 January 2025, retrieved 14 January 2025^
  51. Israir Schedules Chisinau Service in NW23 AeroRoutes, 8 August 2023, retrieved 9 August 2023^
  52. Israir to launch new EX-YU routes EX-YU Aviation News, 9 November 2021, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  53. Jim Liu. Israir Resumes Bergen / Oslo Service in NS23 AeroRoutes, 12 December 2022, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  54. Israeli carriers resuming Belgrade operations EX-YU Aviation News, 23 March 2021, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  55. Jim Liu. Israir NS23 European Network Additions – 06NOV22 AeroRoutes, 7 November 2025, retrieved 9 September 2025^
  56. Jim Liu. Israir Adds Eilat – Istanbul Service From June 2023 AeroRoutes, 11 April 2023, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  57. Michal Raz-Chaimovitz. Israir to launch Tel Aviv - Dubai flights next month Globes, Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 9 September 2020, retrieved 8 September 2025^
  58. Jim Liu. Israir Adds Tel Aviv – London Luton From mid-Nov 2024 AeroRoutes, 4 November 2024, retrieved 4 November 2024^
  59. Smartwings served more than 2.7 million customers in 2021, with the number of passengers on its own flights tripling over the previous year^
  60. Global Airline Guide 2025 - Israir Airliner World, September 2025^
  61. Israir Group Expands Fleet with A320-200 Purchase - TipRanks.com TipRanks Financial^
  62. Itai Azulai. Israir Expands: Ninth Airbus A320 Joins the Fleet with Record Demand Climbs PassportNews, 14 August 2025, retrieved 14 August 2025^
  63. David Kaminski-Morrow. Israir Group signs preliminary agreement for pair of A330s FlightGlobal, 17 December 2025, retrieved 22 December 2025^
  64. ASN Aircraft accident description Aviation Safety Network, retrieved 2007-05-12^
  65. N.Y. runway tapes reveal how jets nearly collided International Herald Tribune, retrieved 2007-08-19^
  66. Israir Airlines test flight nearly shot down by F16s Globes, 2007-03-21, retrieved 2007-05-12^
  67. Israeli plane makes emergency landing The Jerusalem Post, 2007-05-23, retrieved 2007-05-24^
  68. Probe: Did Israir hide plane damage? Ha'aretz, retrieved 2008-08-10^
  69. Drama in the air: Israir flight to London returns for emergency landing Ha'aretz, retrieved 2008-08-10^