RYANAIR will not resume its Tel Aviv operations this winter, citing an unresolved dispute with Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport over flight slot allocations for next year.
The decision affects 22 routes and nearly one million seats, representing a big loss of low-cost travel options for passengers between Israel and Europe.
Ryanair accuses Ben Gurion Airport of refusing to guarantee the airline's historic flight slots for the summer 2026 schedule, which is already on sale.
The airline also criticised the repeated closures of Terminal 1, the low-cost terminal it relies on, during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“We are fed up having our low-fare flights repeatedly messed around by Ben Gurion Airport,” said a Ryanair spokesperson.
“Until such time as Tel Aviv is willing to honour their low-cost agreements with Ryanair, we are unwilling to restart flights there.”
In response, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) rejected the airline’s claims, stating that Ryanair had been granted all the flight slots it requested and that Terminal 1 is fully operational.
“We regret to see that Ryanair continues to try to convince the public that there is a ‘problem’ in Israel, when the only problem is the company’s refusal to operate the flights it has committed to,” the IAA said in a statement.
The airport authority also accused Ryanair of seeking preferential treatment over other international carriers and maintained that many foreign airlines have successfully resumed flights to Israel.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has suggested that the airline may not return to Israel even after regional tensions ease, unless a better deal is reached.
See More: Israel, Michael O'Leary, Ryanair
