Israeli carrier EL AL is objecting to Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air’s attempts to establish a base at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), deeming it “of substantial harm” to both Israeli airlines and the country itself. Fellow airlines Arkia and Israir have also sent letters to authorities seeking to block the move.
Wizz Air wants to set up a base at Ben Gurion and significantly ramp up its Israel operations, with sources claiming this could amount to up to 30 daily flights. While Israel’s Transport Ministry is in favor of the move, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority and its national airlines have voiced their opposition.
El Al Opposes Wizz Air Tel Aviv Base
Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock
As first reported by N12, El Al said in a letter sent to Israeli authorities this week that allowing Wizz Air to establish a base in Tel Aviv would have a detrimental impact on “national resilience” and the general safety of the public. Flights in and out of Israel are subject to enhanced security procedures, so having a foreign low-cost airline like Wizz in town would presumably lead to laxer standards on those particular flights.
El Al cited the fact that only Israeli airlines maintained operations in and out of the country during recent outbreaks of conflict, whereas foreign carriers had abandoned their services. It also said that Israel’s carriers have to bear the cost of stricter security requirements, an overhead that most foreign airlines do not have to meet.
Permitting Wizz Air to establish its base could lead to more foreign carriers pushing Israeli airlines out of the market. El Al argues that it could set a “dangerous precedent” that would allow other foreign airlines to do the same. With a Tel Aviv base, Wizz will be able to station its employees overnight and also operate at more favorable times as a result.
Specifics Still To Be Agreed
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According to The Jerusalem Post, the deal would either be for an operational base, where Wizz operates under its own Air Operators License (AOC), or as an independent base that would require an Israeli subsidiary to be established.
This would be similar to what Wizz did with its Wizz Air Abu Dhabi operation, although it has since decided to close that subsidiary due to operational difficulties. Such a subsidiary in Israel would need to meet national regulatory standards and fly under its own Israeli AOC. Wizz Air is reportedly interested only in setting up an operational base, but could be willing to compromise if the terms are right.
If it is granted a standard operational base, the airline would only be able to launch flights from Israel to European destinations. However, an independent Israeli subsidiary would have the freedom to operate flights outside of Europe too. The carrier is reportedly eyeing up Ben Gurion’s Terminal 1 as its hub of operations, as this terminal offers lower costs and taxes ideally suited to its low-cost model.
Wizz Air CEO To Visit Israel For Negotiations
Photo: Wizz Air
Wizz Air’s CEO, Josef Varadi, is scheduled to visit Israel next month to thrash out the particulars of the deal. According to The Jerusalem Post, Transport Minister Miri Regev is backing the deal, but it faces opposition from Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Wizz announced last month that it would be returning to Israel sooner than planned, resuming its first flights on August 8 rather than the planned September 15 resumption date. While the majority of its network will still restart on that date, it has already resumed flights to the likes of Budapest, Cyprus and London.
Tel Aviv Destinations
Current Network
Abu Dhabi (ends August 31), Athens, Bucharest–Otopeni, Budapest, Heraklion, Iași, Kraków, Larnaca, London–Luton, Milan–Malpensa, Rhodes, Rome–Fiumicino, Sofia, Varna, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw–Chopin
New Routes
Cluj-Napoca, Naples, Thessaloniki, Venice
The carrier will fly to over 20 destinations from Tel Aviv by the end of the year, with a handful of new routes set to launch this winter. This includes flights to Cluj, Naples and Thessaloniki in October, and Venice flights in December.
IATA Code
W6
ICAO Code
WZZ
Year Founded
2003
CEO
József Váradi