Israel Airports Authority criticises Ryanair ‘PR stunts’

The Israel Airports Authority said it has “no intention” of complying with Ryanair’s demands for “preferential conditions”, after the airline said it would not resume flights to Tel Aviv.

The authority, which oversees operations at Ben Gurion Airport, criticised “PR stunts” from the airline and said it is possible to fly to Israel “without turning it into a drama”.

It comes after Ryanair confirmed it will not restart flights to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after seeking assurances around slots and fees.

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 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 1 rates.

It said: “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.”

In a statement to the PA news agency, a spokesperson for the Israel Airports Authority said: “We regret to see that Ryanair continues trying to persuade the public that there is a ‘problem’ in Israel – when the only problem is the company’s refusal to operate the flights it had committed to.

“All the slots it requested for the winter of 2025–2026 were fully granted, and the flights are scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 – exactly as is the case with other low-cost airlines.

“The terminal is open, fully operational, and ready to welcome Ryanair passengers as of tomorrow morning.”

It added: “The Israel Airports Authority is prepared to provide full services for the benefit of the airline’s passengers, but the choice now lies with Ryanair: To make use of the rights it has been granted, or to continue with PR stunts at the expense of its customers.

“As many foreign airlines have already proven in practice – it is possible to fly to Israel, even from Terminal 1, without turning it into a drama. We would be pleased to see Ryanair also choose facts over headlines.

“As we clarified to Ryanair in a letter sent to the company about a week ago, the Israel Airports Authority has no intention of complying with Ryanair’s demands for preferential conditions over other international airlines.”