UAE-based Jetex and Teddy Sagi's Layam open a 250-sqm VIP lounge in Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport after winning the IAA tender over Fattal Group — inside a ₪85 million annual lounge market.
UAE-Based Jetex and Sagi's Layam Win IAA Tender, Beat Fattal Group for Terminal 3 Lounge Rights
A new 250-square-meter VIP lounge opened August 11, 2026 in Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport — the first of two premium lounges to be operated by a joint venture between Layam, part of the Teddy Sagi Group, and Jetex, the UAE-based private aviation and luxury terminal operator with facilities in more than 40 destinations worldwide.
Jetex and Layam won the Israel Airports Authority tender in 2025, beating Fattal Group and Belgium's Aviapartner for operating rights covering six years with a three-year extension option. The second lounge — 370 square meters — is expected to open within months.
The luxury lounge segment at Ben Gurion generated more than ₪85 million ($28.3 million) in revenue in 2025, according to IAA figures. That number is set to grow as Israel's gateway airport pushes toward its 30-million-passenger capacity target under the multi-stage expansion program already underway.
Israeli Cuisine by Eitan Mizrahi, Desserts by Dudu Outmezgine — $100 Walk-In Entry
The lounge menu is built around Israeli cuisine, led by chef Eitan Mizrahi — currently heading the kitchen at the Yacht Hotel from Fattal's Limited Edition luxury collection, and previously the executive chef at the Royal Beach Hotel in Tel Aviv for more than a decade. A rotating dessert bar features pastry chef Dudu Outmezgine. Nespresso coffee and an international spirits bar round out the offering.
The space includes dedicated work corners, rest areas, high-speed Wi-Fi, charging at every seat, and partitioned zones for private meetings. Interior design was led by Michael Azoulay Studio and Yaara Gooner, the Teddy Sagi Group's architect responsible for the design language of Sagi properties worldwide, including the Camden Market complex in London.
Passengers who qualify for free entry include business-class ticket holders on foreign carriers operating at BG — Etihad, British Airways, Air France among them — premium loyalty club members, and American Express premium cardholders under an exclusive Jetex-AmEx partnership. Members of the Israel Medical Association and other institutional partners with long-term agreements also enter free. Walk-in admission: $100 per person.
Abraham Accords Capital in Israeli Airport Infrastructure — Jetex Brings 40-Country Network to TLV
Jetex, founded in the UAE, operates luxury FBO terminals and VIP lounges across more than 40 countries. Its entry into Ben Gurion Airport represents one of the most visible commercial applications of the Abraham Accords normalization — Emirati-backed hospitality capital deployed directly into Israeli civil aviation infrastructure.
The partnership with Layam, a Teddy Sagi Group company, combines Jetex's global aviation hospitality platform with Sagi's Israeli real estate and design portfolio. Sagi, one of Israel's wealthiest entrepreneurs, built the Playtech gaming technology empire and controls Camden Market in London alongside Israeli hospitality and real estate assets.
A digital customer club is being developed by the joint venture, allowing passengers to order services, track flights, and accumulate loyalty benefits before arriving at the airport — positioning the lounge operation as a recurring-revenue platform, not a one-time service.
Ben Gurion's Premium Tier: Fattal Terminal at $545, Jetex Lounge at $100, ONE ZERO Bank Joining
The Jetex-Layam lounge adds to a tiered premium infrastructure at Ben Gurion. Fattal Terminal, the private terminal that recently underwent a ₪500,000 upgrade, offers end-to-end VIP processing — check-in, security screening, passport control, baggage handling, and aircraft-side transport — starting at $545 plus VAT for the first passenger, with declining rates for group members.
ONE ZERO Bank is simultaneously expanding its ONE Travel benefits, offering up to three annual lounge entries in Israel and at roughly 1,400 lounges globally through a monthly $10 credit accumulation (up to $120 per year). The benefit extends to spouses, family members, and traveling companions — positioning the digital bank's travel tier as a mass-market feeder into the premium lounge ecosystem.
Taken together, Ben Gurion is building a three-tier premium layer: Fattal Terminal for full-service private processing, Jetex-Layam for lounge-grade hospitality, and bank-backed access programs for the broader traveling public. As the airport moves toward 30 million annual passengers, the commercial hospitality stack is scaling in parallel with the physical infrastructure.
