Registry

Does Israir support Israel?

Israir Airlines

Support documentedupdated 2026-09-26

Yes — Israir has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Hotels & travel companies · Companies that support Israel

Background

Israir is an Israeli airline, wholly owned since 2020 by the Rami Levy Group through BGI Investments and based at Ben Gurion Airport, so its connection to Israel is its identity rather than a matter of donations. Its documented wartime record is operational and follows the same pattern as El Al and Arkia: adding rotations from Larnaca, Corfu and Batumi in October 2023 as Israel mobilised some 300,000 reservists and foreign carriers withdrew, and flying three of the first twelve government-coordinated "Safe Return" repatriation flights on 18 June 2025 during the war with Iran. Two points of precision: these were commercial services sold at published fares, not free flights, and the airline was itself short of crew because foreign staff had left and Israeli staff had been called up. Beyond that operational record the company has also acted in direct support of the military: on 4 July 2017 Israir adopted two officer-cadet battalions at Bahad 1, the army's officers' school, under Israel's "Adopt a Fighter" project, an arrangement documented by the Hebrew travel-trade press with no sum attached to it. Israir does not appear in the UN OHCHR database of businesses linked to Israeli settlements (A/HRC/60/19, 26 September 2025), and we found no corporate donation by Israir to an Israeli organisation or emergency service.

The Times of Israel — first repatriation flights of the June 2025 operation Aero News Journal, 11 October 2023 (Internet Archive) Wikipedia — Israir Airlines (ownership and history) OHCHR — A/HRC/60/19 settlement-business database (Israir not listed) PassportNews — Israir adopts two Bahad 1 cadet battalions, 4 July 2017 (Internet Archive)

Timeline of documented support

201820202022202420262017-07 — Sponsorship: Two cadet training battalions at Bahad 1, the Israeli army's officers' schoolSponsorship2017-072023-10 — Operations in Israel: Israeli reservists and citizens abroad after the 7 October 2023 attackOperations in Israel2023-102025-06 — Operations in Israel: Israelis stranded abroad during the June 2025 Israel–Iran war ("Safe Return" operation)Operations in Israel2025-062026 — Operations in Israel: Israel (scheduled and charter air links, including wide-body expansion)Operations in Israel2026

Documented support

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Sponsorship2017-07-04—Two cadet training battalions at Bahad 1, the Israeli army's officers' school
At a ceremony at Bahad 1, the Israeli army's officers' school, on 4 July 2017, Israir adopted two battalions training the army's next generation of commanders, under the Israeli "Adopt a Fighter" (Amatz Lochem) project and following an agreement signed about two months earlier. Israir Group's management attended, led by chief executive Uri Sirkis, alongside the school's commanders, officer-course cadets and Varda Drucker of the Adopt a Fighter project, and the group's vice-president for marketing and sales, Gil Stav, said Israir had found a close similarity between its own values and those instilled at Bahad 1. This is an adoption by the company itself and not by its employees; the travel-trade report that carries it does not itemise what Israir provided and attaches no sum to it.
One source
Operations in Israel2023-10—Israeli reservists and citizens abroad after the 7 October 2023 attack
In the days after 7 October 2023, as foreign airlines suspended service to Tel Aviv, Israir added rotations to bring Israelis home, expanding service from Larnaca in Cyprus, Corfu in Greece and Batumi in Georgia. Contemporary reporting tied the extra flights directly to Israel's call-up of some 300,000 military reservists, alongside similar additions by El Al and Arkia, and noted that Israir's own capacity was under strain because foreign crew members had been asked to leave and some Israeli staff had themselves been mobilised. This is an operational response by an Israeli airline, not a donation.
Operations in Israel2025-06-18—Israelis stranded abroad during the June 2025 Israel–Iran war ("Safe Return" operation)
When Israeli airspace closed during the June 2025 war with Iran, leaving an estimated 150,000 Israelis stranded abroad, Israir flew three of the first twelve repatriation flights in the government-coordinated "Safe Return" operation announced by Transport Minister Miri Regev, landing at Ben Gurion Airport on 18 June 2025 from Larnaca, Athens and Varna and planning to bring back about 500 passengers on those three services. Flights operated one way only, into Israel, and seats were allocated by original cancellation date or humanitarian need before general sale.
Operations in Israel2026—Israel (scheduled and charter air links, including wide-body expansion)
Israir is an Israeli carrier based at Ben Gurion Airport, founded in 1989 as Kanfei HaEmek and renamed Israir in 1996, and wholly owned by the Rami Levy Group through BGI Investments following an acquisition completed in 2020. As of May 2026 it operated ten aircraft — eight Airbus A320-200s and two A330-200s bought from American Airlines for long-haul service — and in 2026 it also resumed direct Israel–Morocco flights after a three-year halt. This entry records what the company is and where it operates; it is not a donation.

Frequently asked questions

Did Israir donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of cash donations, but Israir has documented support of other kinds (Sponsorship, Operations in Israel). See the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 9 distinct sources are cited for Israir. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-26

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