Ryanair suspends Tel Aviv flights following airport costs row
James ChappleRyanair has carried out its threat and suspended flights to Tel Aviv less than a month after it restarted them owing to a dispute over passenger charges with the city’s main airport, Ben Gurion International.
The budget carrier said Ben Gurion’s decision to shut its low-cost terminal, Terminal 1 – requiring it to operate to Terminal 3 instead – had resulted in "significantly higher costs", which it would have had to pass onto passengers in the form of higher air fares.
Ryanair, which restarted flights to Tel Aviv on 1 February, said it had requested Ben Gurion apply its agreed Terminal 1 passenger charges to Ryanair services on a temporary basis until the terminal reopens, but this had been refused.
It subsequently suspended operations to and from Ben Gurion on Tuesday (27 February) and said flights to the city would remain suspended until the airport reopens Terminal 1.
“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," said Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson.
"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."
Wilson said Ryanair wanted to support the recovery of air travel to and from Israel, but said it could not do so on the basis of fees it did not agree to.
"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."
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James Chapple
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