Israir

Last updated
Israir
ישראייר‎
Israir-logo2.jpg
IATA ICAO Callsign
6HISRISRAIR
Founded1989 (as Knafei HaEmek)
1996 (as Israir)
Operating bases
Hubs Haifa Airport
Fleet size6
Destinations19 scheduled
Parent company Rami Levy group (as BGI)
Headquarters Tel Aviv, Israel
Key people
  • Uri Sirkis, CEO
Website

Israir Airlines Ltd., more commonly referred to as Israir, is an Israeli airline headquartered in Tel Aviv. [1] It operates domestic scheduled and air taxi flights from Ben Gurion International Airport, Ramon Airport, and Haifa Airport as well as international charter 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]

Contents

History

Israir A320-200 4X-ABG LLBG 11-07-2014b.jpg
Israir A320-200
Israir ATR 72-200 4X-ATI LLBG25-07-2014a.jpg
Israir ATR 72-200

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.[ citation needed ] 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.[ citation needed ] The company was said to be in talks with Airbus over the A350 model.[ citation needed ] It also signed a deal to acquire Airbus A320 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 on 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. [15] On 25 May 2015, an Israir Airbus A320-200 has been seized by Portuguese authorities while in Lisbon over unpaid debts to Portuguese euroAtlantic Airways for a leasing contract in 2008. [15] [16]

Also in May 2015, El Al confirmed to be 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]

Fleet

The Israir fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of February 2023): [23]

Israir Fleet
AircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotes
Airbus A320-200 6—174
Total6—

Incidents and accidents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Israel</span> Overview of transport in Israel

Transportation in Israel is based mainly on private motor vehicles and bus service and an expanding railway network. A lack of inland waterways and the small size of the country make air and water transport of only minor importance in domestic transportation, but they are vitally important for Israel's international transport links. Demands of population growth, political factors, the Israel Defense Forces, tourism and increased traffic set the pace for all sectors, being a major driver in the mobility transition towards railways and public transit while moving away from motorized road transport. All facets of transportation in Israel are under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety.

EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd., trading as EL AL, is an Israeli airline and the nation’s flag carrier. Since its inaugural flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv in September 1948, the airline has grown to serve almost 50 destinations, operating scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights within Israel, and to Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, and the Far East, from its main base in Ben Gurion Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Gurion Airport</span> Main international airport of Israel

Ben Gurion International Airport, commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym Natbag, is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, it is the busiest airport in the country. It is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the northwest of Jerusalem and 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the southeast of Tel Aviv. Until 1973, it was known as Lod Airport, whereafter it was renamed in honour of David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), the first Israeli prime minister. The airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia, and Sun d'Or, and is managed by the Israel Airports Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkia</span> Israeli airline

Arkia, legally incorporated as Arkia Israeli Airlines Ltd, is an Israeli airline. Its head office is on the grounds of Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is Israel's second-largest airline, operating scheduled domestic and international services, as well as charter flights to destinations in Western Europe and across the Mediterranean. Its main base is Ben Gurion Airport, with a hub at the Ramon Airport.

Kish Airlines is an airline operating from Kish Island, Iran. It operates international, domestic and charter services as a scheduled carrier. Its main bases are Kish International Airport and Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun d'Or</span> Israeli airline

Sun d'Or is an Israeli airline brand and former airline with its base at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of El Al which uses the brand mainly for seasonal scheduled and charter services mostly to European destinations. All of their flights are operated by El Al as Sun d'Or's own license was suspended in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sde Dov Airport</span> Defunct airport of Tel Aviv, Israel (1938–2019)

Sde Dov Airport, also known as Dov Hoz Airport was an airport in Tel Aviv, Israel that mainly handled scheduled domestic flights to Eilat, northern Israel, as well as having served as a base for the Israeli Air Force (IAF). It was the largest airport in Tel Aviv proper, and the second largest in the area, after Ben Gurion Airport on the outskirts of Lod. The airport opened in 1938 and was named after Dov Hoz, one of the pioneers of Jewish aviation. It ceased operations on 30 June 2019 after a controversial, long-delayed plan came into effect to close the airport in order to build high-end residential apartments on its valuable beachfront property. Commercial flights were moved to Ben Gurion Airport and military flights were moved to other IAF bases. The airport was a focus city for Arkia Israel Airlines and Israir Airlines.

TransAsia Airways was a Taiwanese airline based in Neihu District in Taipei. Though the company started its operations focusing mainly on the Taiwanese domestic market, it operated on many scheduled international routes and focused mainly on Southeast and Northeast Asia and cross-strait flights at the time of closure.

Kingfisher Airlines Limited was an airline group based in India. It was established in 2003 and started its commercial operations in 2005. Through its parent company United Breweries Group, it had a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FitsAir</span> Airline of Sri Lanka

FITS Aviation (Pvt) Limited, DBA FitsAir, is a Sri Lankan airline. It operates scheduled passenger services within Sri Lanka, as well as international cargo flights to several cities in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and also operates charter flights to India. The company slogan is Friend In The Skies...

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eilat Airport</span> Former airport of Eilat, Israel (1949–2019)

Eilat Airport, also known as J. Hozman Airport, was an airport located in Eilat, Israel. It was named after Arkia Airlines founder Yakov Hozman and was located in the center of Eilat adjacent to Route 90. Due to its short runway and limited capacity it mainly handled domestic flights from Tel Aviv and Haifa Airport, while Uvda International Airport, located some 60 km (40 mi) north of the city, handled Eilat's international carriers.

InterGlobe Aviation Limited, doing business as IndiGo, is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 60.5% domestic market share as of March 2024. It is the largest individual Asian airline, and one of the largest in the world in terms of passengers carried, with more than 100 million passengers carried in 2023. As of April 2024, IndiGo operates over 2,000 daily flights to 122 destinations – 88 domestic and 34 international, with a fleet of over 350 aircraft. It has its primary hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.

PT Citilink Indonesia, operating as Citilink, is an Indonesian low-cost airline headquartered in Jakarta. Established in July 2001 as a low-cost brand of Garuda Indonesia, it operates services to domestic and regional destinations. Since 30 July 2012, Citilink has officially operated as a separate subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia, operating with its own callsign, airline codes, logo, and uniform. Its main base is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport and Juanda International Airport. The company slogan is Better Fly, Citilink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovda Airport</span> Military airport in Israel

Ovda Airport was the former civilian part of the Ovda Israeli Air Force Base in the Uvda region of southern Israel, about 40 km (25 mi) north of Eilat. It was the country's second international airport. Ovda was originally built and opened as a military airbase in 1981 and was joint-used as a civilian airport a year later but ceased handling civilian flights on 31 March 2019 thanks to the opening of Ramon Airport, which is located much closer to the city of Eilat than Ovda.

Aeroenlaces Nacionales, S.A. de C.V., trading as Viva Aerobus, is a major Mexican low-cost airline headquartered at Monterrey International Airport, in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Measured by passenger numbers, it is Mexico´s third-largest airline and eleventh-largest airline in North America, offering more than 160 routes in more than 50 destinations serving Mexico, the United States, Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TACA Flight 390</span> 2008 aviation accident in Honduras

TACA Flight 390 was a scheduled flight on May 30, 2008, by TACA International from San Salvador, El Salvador, to Miami, Florida, United States, with intermediate stops at Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula in Honduras. The aircraft, an Airbus A320-233, overran the runway after landing at Tegucigalpa's Toncontín International Airport and rolled out into a street, crashing into an embankment and smashing several cars in the process.

Nesma Airlines is an Egyptian airline which operates scheduled international regional flights as well as regional flights within Saudi Arabia. It operates as a full-service carrier on international flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramon Airport</span> International airport in Southern District, Israel

Ramon Airport, named after Ilan and Assaf Ramon and unofficially also known as Eilat-Ramon Airport, is an international airport located in the Timna Valley in southern Israel. Ramon Airport is the second busiest in Israel and has replaced the former Eilat Airport and Ovda Airport for civilian traffic. It also serves as the primary diversion airport in Israel.

The 2014 Ben Gurion Airport flight bans were a series of flight bans at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel due to the 2014 Gaza War.

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Israir Airlines Archived 2009-04-29 at the Wayback Machine ." Israir Airlines. Retrieved on 23 September 2009. "Israir Airlines and Tourism Ltd. 23 Ben Yehuda Street"
  2. 1 2 "About Israir Airlines". Israir Airlines. Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. 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. ↑ Mutzabaugh, Ben (2006-06-17). "More competition between Israel, New York". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2008-06-21. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  6. ↑ Dalia Tal (2008-08-06). "Israir to end New York flights". Globes. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  7. ↑ Krawitz, Avi (2006-12-21). "Israir Airlines to buy two Airbus A320s". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-07-20.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Airbus marks first breakthrough in the Israeli market with Israir Airlines A320 order". Port2Port. 2007-04-23. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  9. ↑ Tal, Dalia (2008-03-20). "Israir adds scheduled flights to New York". Globes. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  10. ↑ "Israir Airlines Introduces the 'Sky-Torah'". PR Newswire. 2006-12-27. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  11. ↑ "Flying Torah". Airline Business. 2007-01-03. Archived from the original on 2007-07-14. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  12. ↑ Ben-Zur, Carmel (2007-05-13). "Customer files lawsuit against Israir Airlines over reduced legroom". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2007-05-15. 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. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  15. 1 2 http://www.aerotelegraph.com/flugzeug-israir-lissbaon-beschlagnahmt-fusion-sun-dor-el-al%5B%5D
  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 | JPost.com. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  20. ↑ staff, T. O. I.; Agencies (13 October 2020). "Dubai-based company to bid for purchase of Israir Airlines". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  21. ↑ "Dubai-based NY Koen Group to bid for Israir". Globes. 2020-10-13. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  22. ↑ שומפלבי, אטילה; זומר, נווית (2020-10-15). "איש העסקים היהודי ירכוש את ישראייר? "אולי נשנה את השם ל'ישרא-דובאי'"". ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  23. ↑ "airfleets.net - Israir". 18 February 2023.
  24. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  25. ↑ "N.Y. runway tapes reveal how jets nearly collided". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  26. ↑ "Israir Airlines test flight nearly shot down by F16s". Globes. 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  27. ↑ "Israeli plane makes emergency landing". The Jerusalem Post. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2007-05-24.[ permanent dead link ]
  28. ↑ "Probe: Did Israir hide plane damage?". Ha'aretz. Archived from the original on 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2008-08-10.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Israir at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.