Ryanair has suspended its flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, just weeks after they had resumed.
The low-cost carrier had originally suspended flights to the airport following the conflict between Israel and Hamas late last year, but daily services had resumed at the start of February.
Ryanair had previously used Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion International, but as this remains closed the airline was forced to use what it says is “the more expensive Terminal 3”.
The carrier said it requested that the airport “apply its agreed Terminal 1 passenger charges to Ryanair flights on a temporary basis until they reopened Terminal 1, but Ben Gurion International Airport refused this request and insisted that Ryanair operate through the more expensive Terminal 3”.
Ryanair said that the switch had “resulted in significantly higher costs and would have resulted in much higher air fares for Ryanair passengers travelling to/from Tel Aviv”.
As a result it has once again suspended its routes to Tel Aviv – which include services from Milan Bergamo, Bucharest Otopeni, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Marseille, Memmingen, Poznan and Vienna.
Ryanair said flights would remain suspended “until such time as Ben Gurion International Airport reopens its low-cost Terminal 1”, and has written to the airport requesting confirmation on when this might be.
Commenting on the news Ryanair DAC CEO, Eddie Wilson, said:
“We worked hard with the Israeli Government and Ben Gurion International Airport to re-establish Ryanair’s low fare flights to/from Tel Aviv on 1 February last. We were deeply disappointed by Ben Gurion International Airport’s refusal to reopen the low-cost Terminal 1 where Ryanair normally operates.
“We don’t mind if the airport forces us to put Ryanair flights through Terminal 3 on an interim basis because of the large decline in traffic to/from Tel Aviv, but this should be done on the agreed Terminal 1 prices, not Terminal 3 prices.
“Ryanair wishes to support Ben Gurion International Airport and the recovery of air travel to/from Israel, but we cannot do so, or ask our passengers to pay higher air fares while Ben Gurion International Airport keep the low-cost Terminal 1 closed and force our flights into the high-cost Terminal 3, charging fees which were never agreed by Ryanair.
“We call again on Ben Gurion International Airport to confirm a date when the lower cost Terminal 1 facility will be reopened, which will allow Ryanair to resume selling low fare flights to/from Tel Aviv which have done so much to grow air travel and tourism for Israel.”
