Israir facts for kids
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| Founded | 1989 (as Knafei HaEmek) 1996 (as Israir) |
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| Operating bases |
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| Hubs | Haifa Airport |
| Fleet size | 6 |
| Destinations | 19 scheduled |
| Parent company | Rami Levy group (as BGI) |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Key people |
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| Website |
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Israir Airlines Ltd., usually called Israir, is an Israeli airline. Its main office is in Tel Aviv, Israel. Israir flies planes for people to travel within Israel. These flights go from airports like Ben Gurion International Airport, Ramon Airport, and Haifa Airport.
The airline also offers international flights to places in Europe and Asia. These are often charter flights, which means they are hired for a specific trip. Israir also has special VIP flights. It is the second-largest airline in Israel, after El Al. Israir has about 350 employees.
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 company is fully owned by the Rami Levi Group.
At first, Israir only flew within Israel. They flew to airports like Eilat, Ben Gurion, Sde Dov, and Haifa. In 1999, Israir started flying to other countries. They now fly to many places in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Some people say Israir tried to be like JetBlue, a low-cost airline from the US.
Flying to New York and New Planes
In 2004, Israir started flying across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. These were charter flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport. In 2006, the Israeli government allowed Israir to make these regular flights.
However, in 2008, Israir stopped flying to New York. This was because fuel prices went up. Also, fewer people were expected to travel due to money issues. Israir also talked about buying new planes. They were interested in Airbus A320 planes. This was a big deal because no Israeli airline had bought Airbus planes before. In 2008, Israir got an Airbus A330 for its New York flights. This plane replaced a Boeing 767. Israir no longer flies long distances and has stopped using these larger planes.
Special Services and Changes
In 2007, Israir announced a unique idea. They planned to carry special Sky-Torah scrolls on their planes. These scrolls are used for prayer by Jewish passengers. This was the first time an Israeli airline offered this. It was meant to attract more religious passengers.
Later in 2007, a passenger sued Israir. The passenger said the airline did not correctly advertise the legroom on its planes.
In 2008, rules changed for Israeli airlines. Israir asked for permission to fly regularly to more cities. These included London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Amsterdam, Rome, Budapest, Las Vegas, and Miami. Some of these were already charter destinations for Israir.
Recent Events Since 2010
In 2011, Israir received new ATR 72 planes. These planes replaced their older ATR 42 aircraft.
In 2015, an Israir Airbus A320-200 was held in Lisbon, Portugal. This happened because of money Israir owed to another airline. Also in 2015, El Al talked about combining its airline, Sun D'Or, with Israir. Sun D'Or would close, and El Al would get shares in Israir.
In 2020, Israir was put up for sale. Different companies offered to buy it. The Rami Levy group made the first offer. A group from Dubai also showed interest in buying the airline.
Israir Fleet
As of May 2024, Israir uses the following planes:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 6 | — | 174 | |
| Total | 6 | — | ||
Incidents and Safety
Aviation safety is very important. Here are some past events involving Israir planes:
- In June 2001, an Israir ATR 42-320 plane landed very hard at Ben Gurion Airport. The plane was badly damaged, but no one on board was hurt.
- On July 6, 2005, an Israir 767 plane accidentally drove onto a runway where another plane was about to take off at JFK. The other plane, a Douglas DC-8 cargo plane, quickly took off to avoid a collision. It passed safely over the Israir plane.
- In May 2007, an Israir plane on a test flight almost had a problem with Israeli F-16 jets. The Israir plane entered an area where it needed to identify itself, and there was a misunderstanding.
- Later in May 2007, on May 23, an Israir flight had to make an emergency landing. Smoke appeared in the cabin as the plane was landing at Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport. Everyone on the plane was safe.
- In July 2008, an Israir plane flew from Eilat Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport with a small hole in its body. Mechanics found the hole at Ben Gurion. It was caused by airport workers who accidentally hit the plane with a mobile staircase. The plane was fixed before its next flight.
See also
In Spanish: Israir para niños
