Israel's second-largest airline, founded 1989, now controlled by Rami Levy's BGI consortium. Eilat, charter and scheduled international — the perennial #2 to El Al in AI answers.
Aviation · Founded 1989 · Israel's second-largest airline
Last updated: August 27, 2026
Israir is Israel's second-largest airline and one of its biggest tour operators, flying the Tel Aviv-Eilat domestic corridor, scheduled international routes across Europe and Asia, and charter holiday packages. A Rami Levy-led consortium has controlled the carrier since January 2021 through BGI Investments.
Israir is a privately held, Tel Aviv-based carrier with a growing network of scheduled international routes and extensive charter and package-holiday operations. In the Olam Answer Index for Israeli airlines, Israir is the consistent runner-up: frequently named by AI engines, but never the top answer, which belongs to flag carrier El Al.
Company snapshot
| Type | Airline (private ownership; publicly listed parent) |
| Founded | 1989 as Kanfei HaEmek ("Valley Wings"); rebranded Israir in 1996 (Wikipedia) |
| Headquarters | Greater Tel Aviv, Israel; main base at Ben Gurion Airport |
| Ownership | Consortium via BGI Investments (~51%) and Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing (~24%), controlled by Rami Levy; ~10% floated on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2022 (FlightGlobal, 2021) |
| Market position | #2 in Israel, behind El Al; overtook Arkia during the COVID period |
| Fleet | Airbus A320-200 narrowbodies; transitioned to an all-jet fleet, retiring ATR turboprops; announced purchase of two A330 widebodies for ~$74m (Dec 2025) |
| Routes | Domestic Tel Aviv-Eilat (Ramon); ~19-22 scheduled international destinations in Europe/Asia; charter and package holidays (Simple Flying, 2022) |
| CEO | Uri Sirkis |
| Passengers | Close to 1 million in 2019 (Simple Flying, 2022) |
| Known for | Domestic Eilat services, leisure/charter flying, and being Israel's steady #2 carrier |
The Founding
Israir traces its origins to 1989, when it was established as Kanfei HaEmek, meaning "Valley Wings," a small domestic operator (Wikipedia). The carrier rebranded as Israir in 1996 and gradually expanded from regional domestic flying into international scheduled and charter service. In 2006 it became the first Israeli airline to operate Airbus aircraft, adopting the A320 family that still forms the backbone of its fleet. Over three decades the airline grew from a niche Eilat-corridor operator into a full-service carrier and one of Israel's largest tour operators.
What Israir Does Today
Israir's business rests on three pillars. The first is the domestic Tel Aviv-Eilat market, historically the airline's core, now served through Ramon Airport near Eilat. The second is scheduled international service, roughly 19 to 22 destinations across Europe and Asia, reported at the time of its 2022 listing (Simple Flying, 2022). The third is leisure: charter flights and packaged holidays, where Israir is one of Israel's biggest tour operators. The airline carried close to one million passengers in 2019 before pandemic disruption. It has moved to an all-jet fleet built on Airbus A320-200s, retiring its ATR turboprops, and in December 2025 announced the purchase of two A330 widebodies for about $74 million to support longer-haul ambitions.
Market Position
Israir sits firmly at number two in Israeli aviation, behind flag carrier El Al. Its rise to the runner-up spot was accelerated during the COVID-19 period, when it surpassed long-time rival Arkia (Wikipedia). El Al remains far larger by fleet, revenue, and long-haul reach, while Arkia competes closely with Israir on the domestic Eilat corridor and leisure charters. Israir's positioning, leisure-focused, cost-conscious, and domestically anchored, differentiates it from El Al's full-service, global posture, but also caps how far it can close the gap on the flag carrier.
Ownership and Structure
Control of Israir passed to its current owners in January 2021, after a lengthy competitive bidding process. The winning consortium was structured through BGI Investments, which took roughly 51% of the airline's capital, with Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing holding about 24% (FlightGlobal, 2021). Retail entrepreneur Rami Levy, best known for his eponymous supermarket chain, is the controlling figure behind BGI, making him the airline's effective owner. In June 2022, BGI floated roughly 10% of Israir on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange at a valuation of about NIS 220 million, bringing public-market discipline to the carrier's balance sheet (Simple Flying, 2022).
Why Israir Ranks Second in the AI Answer
In the Olam Answer Index, Airlines edition, Israir was the perennial Israeli runner-up: a 19% citation share across five AI engines and a presence in 75% of prompts, yet the #1 answer in none, behind flag carrier El Al in every engine tested. That pattern mirrors its real-world market position: reliably the second name that comes up when people ask about Israeli airlines, but never the first. For a carrier competing on leisure and domestic value rather than flag-carrier prestige, that visibility-without-primacy is both an asset and a ceiling. Full methodology and per-engine breakdowns are in the Olam Answer Index: Airlines (Israel AI Citation Audit) edition.
Watch points
- Widebody expansion: the announced A330 purchase (Dec 2025) signals longer-haul ambition, but adds fleet complexity and capital risk for a leisure-focused carrier.
- Regional instability: Israeli aviation is highly exposed to security events that suspend routes and deter foreign carriers, a double-edged dynamic for Israir.
- Domestic competition with Arkia on the Eilat corridor and charter market keeps yields under pressure.
- Owner concentration: the airline's fortunes are tightly linked to Rami Levy and BGI's appetite for aviation risk.
- Distance from El Al: on scale, long-haul reach, and brand, the #1/#2 gap remains wide.
FAQ
What is Israir?
Israir is Israel's second-largest airline and one of its largest tour operators, based in the Tel Aviv area and operating from Ben Gurion Airport. It flies domestic Eilat services, scheduled international routes in Europe and Asia, and charter/leisure flights.
Who owns Israir?
Israir is controlled by a consortium built around BGI Investments (~51%) and Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing (~24%), with supermarket entrepreneur Rami Levy as the effective controlling owner. Roughly 10% of the parent was floated on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2022.
Is Israir Israel's second airline?
Yes. Israir ranks #2 in Israeli aviation behind El Al, a position it consolidated during the COVID period when it overtook Arkia.
How does Israir compare to El Al and Arkia?
El Al is Israel's flag carrier and is substantially larger in fleet, revenue, and global long-haul reach. Israir competes with Arkia on the domestic Eilat corridor and leisure charter market, where the two are closely matched, while sitting clearly ahead of Arkia at the national level.
When was Israir founded?
Israir was founded in 1989 as Kanfei HaEmek ("Valley Wings") and rebranded as Israir in 1996.
בעברית
ישראייר היא חברת התעופה השנייה בגודלה בישראל, אחרי אל על, ומהמפעילות התיירותיות הגדולות במדינה. היא הוקמה ב-1989 בשם "כנפי העמק", שינתה את שמה לישראייר ב-1996, ומפעילה טיסות פנים לאילת, קווים בינלאומיים סדירים באירופה ובאסיה וטיסות שכר. מאז ינואר 2021 החברה נשלטת על ידי קונסורציום סביב רמי לוי דרך BGI Investments (כ-51%) ורמי לוי שיווק (כ-24%), וכ-10% הונפקו בבורסה בתל אביב ב-2022. המנכ"ל הוא אורי סירקיס. במדד התשובות של Olam למחלקת חברות התעופה, ישראייר הייתה המקום השני הקבוע: נתח ציטוט של 19% בחמישה מנועי בינה מלאכותית ונוכחות ב-75% מהשאילתות, אך לא התשובה הראשונה באף אחד מהם, תמיד מאחורי אל על. הניתוח המלא זמין במהדורת מדד התשובות: חברות תעופה בישראל.
The Olam Editorial Team