Israir facts for kids
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| Founded | 1989 (as Knafei HaEmek) 1996 (as Israir) |
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| Operating bases | Ben Gurion Airport |
| Fleet size | 8 |
| Destinations | 19 scheduled |
| Parent company | Rami Levy group (as BGI) |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Key people |
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Israir Airlines Ltd. is an Israeli airline. It is often just called Israir. This airline is based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Israir offers flights within Israel. These flights go from airports like Ben Gurion International Airport, Ramon Airport, and Haifa Airport.
Israir also flies to many places in Europe and Asia. They offer both regular flights and special charter flights. They also have VIP flights. Israir is the second-largest airline in Israel. It became bigger than Arkia Israel Airlines during the time of the Coronavirus pandemic. About 350 people work for Israir.
Contents
History of Israir
How Israir Started
Israir Airlines began in 1989. Its first name was Kanfei HaEmek, which means Valley Wings. In 1996, the name changed to Israir Airlines. Today, the Rami Levi Group owns the entire airline.
The airline first flew only within Israel. It connected cities like Eilat, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. In 1999, Israir started flying to other countries. They began with special charter flights. Now, they fly to many places in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Some people say Israir tried to be like the US airline JetBlue. JetBlue is known for its lower prices.
Growing and Changing Flights
In June 2004, Israir started flying across the Atlantic Ocean. They offered charter flights to New York City. The Israeli government and the FAA allowed them to make these regular flights in 2006. However, these flights stopped in September 2008. This was because fuel prices were very high. Also, fewer people were expected to travel.
Israir also talked about buying new planes. They looked at planes from Boeing and Airbus. They signed a deal to get Airbus A320 planes. This was a big deal for Israeli airlines. No other Israeli airline had bought Airbus planes before. In April 2008, Israir received an Airbus A330. This plane was for their New York flights. It replaced the Boeing 767 they had been using. Israir no longer flies to New York. They also stopped using their long-distance planes.
In 2007, Israir announced a special idea. They planned to carry Sky-Torah scrolls on their planes. These are holy books for Jewish passengers to use for prayer. This was new for an Israeli airline. It was seen as a way to attract more passengers. Later in 2007, a passenger sued Israir. They said the airline did not correctly advertise the legroom on its planes.
In 2008, rules for Israeli airlines changed. Israir asked for permission to fly to more cities. These included London, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow. They also wanted to fly to Amsterdam, Rome, Budapest, Las Vegas, and Miami. Some of these were places they already flew to as charter flights.
Recent Events Since 2010
In July 2011, Israir received its first ATR 72 plane. They had ordered two of these planes. They were meant to replace the older ATR 42 planes. In 2015, an Israir Airbus A320-200 was held in Lisbon, Portugal. This happened because of money Israir owed to another airline.
Also in May 2015, El Al talked about joining its airline, Sun D'Or, with Israir. Sun D'Or would close down. El Al would then own part of Israir. In October 2020, Israir was put up for sale. Companies could offer to buy it. The Rami Levy group made the first offer. Another group from Dubai also wanted to buy the airline.
Israir's Planes
As of February 2025, Israir has these planes:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 8 | 1 | 180
170 168 |
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| Total | 8 | 1 | ||
Incidents and Accidents
- In June 2001, an Israir ATR 42-320 plane was badly damaged. This happened after a hard landing at Ben Gurion Airport. The plane could not be used again. But no one on board was hurt.
- On July 6, 2005, an Israir 767 plane accidentally drove onto an active runway at JFK. Another plane, a Douglas DC-8 cargo plane, almost hit it. The cargo plane took off very quickly to avoid a crash. It flew just 45 feet above the Israir plane.
- In May 2007, an Israir plane on a test flight almost got shot down. This happened when it entered a special flying area. The plane did not identify itself to the Israeli F-16 jets.
- Later in May 2007, an Israir flight had to land quickly. Smoke filled the cabin as it was landing at Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport. No one was injured in this event.
- In July 2008, an Israir plane flew from Eilat Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport. It had a small hole in its side. Mechanics found the hole at Ben Gurion. It was caused by Israir workers in Eilat. They had crashed a mobile staircase into the plane. The plane was supposed to fly to Italy. At a high altitude, the hole could have caused serious problems.
- In January 2025, an Israir plane declared an emergency. It was supposed to fly from Tel Aviv to London. The plane flew in circles for three hours to burn fuel. Then it landed safely back at Ben Gurion International Airport.
See also
In Spanish: Israir para niños
