As Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air eyes setting up a base at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in a move that could boost competition and bring down sky-high fares for travelers, Israeli airlines are fiercely pushing back.

Israel’s flag carrier, El Al, and smaller Israeli rivals Arkia and Israir have been arguing that allowing Wizz Air to open an operational base in the country would significantly harm the local airlines and undermine national resilience, especially during emergency war periods. The opposition voiced by the local aviation industry is stirring up a heated debate with the government.

The initiative comes as Israeli airlines, including El Al, are being accused of price gouging and wartime profiteering and are facing class action suits, after reporting record profits over the past two years while flight ticket prices have gone through the roof.

Major foreign airlines have repeatedly halted service to Israel since the outbreak of war with the Hamas terror group on October 7, 2023, leaving travelers from Ben Gurion Airport almost entirely dependent on El Al, Israir and Arkia, plus a handful of other airlines, mostly from the Persian Gulf and Eastern Europe.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry, led by Miri Regev, has been advancing talks with Wizz Air........

© The Times of Israel