Ryanair will not restart Tel Aviv flights

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary (Brian Lawless/PA)

Ryanair has confirmed it will not restart flights to Tel Aviv, after demanding assurances from Ben Gurion Airport.

The airline said it would only restart 22 routes when it receives guarantees over terminal costs and is provided with the same summer slots next year that it received this year.

Last week, Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary told reporters that Ben Gurion Airport had until Tuesday to guarantee it would keep “low-cost” charges if Ryanair flights were moved to the “high-cost” terminal and that it will have all its slots back next year.

He said if this did not happen the airline would not be returning to operation in Israel, adding: “Frankly, it wouldn’t cost me much of a thought.”

Ryanair’s services to Tel Aviv were repeatedly disrupted this summer due to security concerns over Israeli airspace and the airport’s decisions to, on occasion, move Ryanair from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 – which carries higher costs.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the airline said: “We are fed up having our low-fare flights repeatedly messed around by Ben Gurion Airport.

“It is absurd that they refused to confirm our summer 2026 slots, when summer 2026 schedules are already on sale.

“We appreciate that many airlines, including Ryanair, cancelled their flights to/from Tel Aviv this summer, but only because it was unsafe to operate there.

“We are not willing to restart loss-making flights to/from Tel Aviv for the winter season, without the certainty that our summer 2026 historic slots have been confirmed.”

Ryanair said it has “no difficulty” working with the Tel Aviv airport to temporarily move to Terminal 3 but said this should come with Terminal One rates

“Until such time as Ben Gurion Airport confirm our historic S26 slots, and confirm that they will in future keep T1 open, we will not restart low-fare flights to/from Tel Aviv this winter.”

Ben Gurion Airport has been contacted for comment.