Israir Airlines compensation: up to €600 per passenger

Israir compensation: which flights to Tel Aviv qualify for €250 or €400

We have handled claims for more than 170 Israir passengers, and almost all of them were flying from Europe to Tel Aviv: from Rome, Athens, Larnaca, Rhodes or Budapest. If your flight reached Israel 3 hours or more behind schedule, was cancelled at short notice, or you were refused boarding, you may be owed €250 or €400 per passenger, on top of any ticket refund.

First, check the direction of travel. Israir is an Israeli airline headquartered in Tel Aviv and based at Ben Gurion Airport, so it is a non-EU carrier. Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 it only has to pay on flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Athens to Tel Aviv is covered; the return from Tel Aviv to Athens is not.

Flew Israir out of Italy, Greece, Cyprus or Hungary? Enter the airports and date and you will know within 2 minutes whether there is money to claim. Check your Israir flight.

How much Israir pays on its routes to Israel

What you paid for the ticket makes no difference, even on a cheap promotional fare. The amount depends on the distance from the European departure airport to your final destination.

Compensation is owed to every traveller on the booking. A couple with two children on a Budapest–Tel Aviv flight that landed 4 hours late can claim €1,600 between them, as children with their own seat receive the full adult amount.

Israir flight delayed: what to do at the airport

Three in four of the Israir claims we manage concern a delay, mostly on Larnaca–Tel Aviv, Athens–Tel Aviv and Rome–Tel Aviv. The time that counts is when the doors open at Ben Gurion, not touchdown, and we check it for you. While you wait:

1. Keep your boarding pass, or a photo of it, as proof you travelled.
2. Ask the Israir desk why the flight is late and write down the answer and the time.
3. Photograph the departures board and keep every message from the airline or your travel agent.
4. Hold on to receipts for food, taxis and hotels if no help was offered.
5. Turn down vouchers offered in exchange for giving up cash compensation.

Meals, hotel and refunds while you wait

On covered flights Israir must provide food and drink and, if departure slips to the next day, a hotel room and transport, whatever caused the delay.

Missed connections in Tel Aviv

With a single booking from Europe to a final destination beyond Tel Aviv, what matters is the delay at that final destination and the distance of the whole journey. If you bought the onward flight separately, each ticket is assessed on its own. More detail on our page about Israir delayed flight compensation.

Israir flight cancelled: refund plus compensation

Over one in five Israir claims we receive is about a cancellation. Many travellers accept the refund or new date and stop there, but these are separate entitlements.

Rescheduled departure. According to the EU Court of Justice, a big change to the departure time announced shortly before travel can count as a cancellation. Already refunded? See whether compensation is also due. The full rules are on our page about Israir cancelled flight compensation.

Israir overbooking on flights from Europe

Denied boarding makes up only about 2 in 100 of our Israir cases, typically around holiday periods when flights to Israel sell out. If you were eligible and on time at the gate, compensation is due immediately, along with an alternative flight or a refund.

It does not apply if boarding was refused for reasons on your side, such as an expired passport, unfinished security questioning or arriving after the gate closed. See also our guide on Israir overbooking and denied boarding.

Strikes and Israir flights: who pays

When a walkout by Israir's own pilots or cabin crew disrupts your flight from Europe, compensation is normally still owed. The EU Court of Justice has held that a strike by an airline's staff is part of its ordinary business (case C-28/20). Industrial action by air traffic controllers or airport workers in Rome, Athens or Tel Aviv is different: no compensation, although meals, rerouting and refunds remain.

Israir rejected your claim? Reasons worth challenging

Israir flights from Israel, Moldova or Georgia: what is not covered

Because Israir is Israeli, EU compensation does not apply to its flights that take off outside the EU, even when they land in Greece or Italy. That excludes:

• return flights from Tel Aviv to Rome, Athens, Larnaca, Rhodes or Budapest
• departures from Chișinău in Moldova, a route Israir has flown in the past
• flights from Batumi in Georgia or Tivat in Montenegro

On a return ticket, the outbound leg from Europe stays covered even though the homeward leg does not. Flights leaving Israel may fall under other rules, such as Israeli law, which sit outside the EU Regulation.

How to claim from Israir: on your own or with us

You can contact Israir customer service yourself through the airline's official website, quoting the flight number, booking reference and passenger names. Here is how the two routes compare.

Already turned down by Israir?

Send us the airline's reply. If the refusal has no solid basis, we start again with a formal demand.

Documents to have ready

• Ticket or boarding passOr the package confirmation if you booked through an agency.
• PassportA copy for each passenger, including children.
• Airline messagesDelay or cancellation notices and receipts for expenses.

Time limits for an Israir claim

The Regulation sets no deadline of its own. The limit comes from the law of the country where you bring the claim, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-139/11, so it varies across Europe. Enter your flight date and we will tell you if you are still in time.

How long Israir takes to pay

If Israir accepts the claim, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If a formal demand or court action is needed, allow several months. Your share is transferred as soon as Israir pays.

Lost or damaged luggage on Israir

Baggage is not covered by Regulation 261/2004 but by the Montreal Convention. Before leaving the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion, file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), then write to Israir within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of getting your bag back for a delay.

Israir contact details and flight status

Airline

Israir Airlines, Tel Aviv, Israel

Claims

Customer service via the official Israir website

Flight status

The airline's website and the departure airport's flight board