Ryanair has announced that it will not resume 22 flights to and from Tel Aviv at Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), the main airport of Israel, in winter 2025-2026 season, due to the airport’s refusal to confirm the airline’s slots for its summer 2026 schedule.
In a statement released on September 30, 2025, Ryanair explained that the decision was influenced by Ben Gurion Airport’s refusal to ensure that Terminal 1, mainly used by low-cost airlines, would remain operational during any potential “future security issues”.
Ryanair’s flights to Tel Aviv faced multiple interruptions in summer 2025 due to security concerns over Israeli airspace. On May 4, 2025, the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) ordered several closures of Tel Aviv’s airspace following missile and drone strikes as part of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran-backed regional militias.
In May 2025, a missile fired from Yemen struck near Ben Gurion Airport, causing temporary suspension of air traffic and the cancellation of dozens of flights. In June and July 2025, Ben Gurion Airport experienced hours of shutdowns, leading to flight diversions or cancellations, as ballistic missiles and drones targeted Israel.
Given these circumstances, Ryanair stated it could not plan future flights without guarantees that Terminal 1 would be accessible during times of increased security. The airline said it “no longer accepts these higher costs, when T1 is being closed solely for the convenience of Tel Aviv Airport”.
“We are fed up having our low-fare flights repeatedly messed around by Ben Gurion Airport,” said a spokesperson for Ryanair. “We are not willing to restart loss-making flights to/from Tel Aviv for the winter season, without the certainty of our summer 2026 slots.”
The airline cuts 22 routes at Tel Aviv
Ryanair stated that cutting flights to Tel Aviv at Ben Gurion Airport will lead to the loss of one million seats and 22 routes.
“We regret that this means that Tel Aviv will no longer have access to Ryanair’s 22 routes we operated last winter, but until such time as Tel Aviv are willing to honor their low-cost agreements with Ryanair, we are unwilling to restart flights there,” the spokesperson added.
The low-cost airline said it would consider restarting services to Tel Aviv in summer 2026 if Ben Gurion Airport confirms it will honor the airline’s slots and ensure that these services will continue to be priced at T1 rates. In that case, Ryanair said that it would “look forward to returning to Tel Aviv with its services”.
