Registry · RYAAY

Does Ryanair Holdings plc support Israel?

Support documentedupdated 2025-09-30

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

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

Background

Honest verdict: mixed and currently absent. Before the war Ryanair was one of the largest low-cost foreign operators at Ben Gurion and it kept its Tel Aviv slots through COVID and earlier security crises; it returned twice during the war (February 2024, then June 2024 through mid-2025). Its current absence is a loudly public commercial dispute with Ben Gurion Airport over Terminal 1 access, fees and summer 2026 slots — CEO Michael O'Leary has said Ryanair "has far more growth elsewhere in Europe" unless Israeli authorities "stop messing us around." No corporate donations to Israeli causes were found; nothing in the record is a political boycott, but as of mid-2026 Ryanair operates no Israel flights.

Simple Flying The National Jerusalem Post

Timeline of documented support

20252024-06 — Operations in Israel: Tel Aviv low-fare route network (Israel)Operations in Israel2024-062025-09 — Public statement: Ben Gurion Airport / Israel Airports Authority (route dispute)Public statement2025-09

Documented support

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Operations in Israel2024-06-03—Tel Aviv low-fare route network (Israel)
Restored its Israel network on 3 June 2024 with 40 weekly flights to Tel Aviv on seven routes (Athens, Bari, Berlin, Budapest, Malta, Milan and Paphos) once Ben Gurion Airport reopened low-cost Terminal 1. This was Ryanair's second return of the war: it had suspended flights after 7 October 2023, briefly resumed on 7 February 2024, then grounded Israel flights again 27 days later in a dispute over being forced into higher-cost Terminal 3.
Public statement2025-09-30—Ben Gurion Airport / Israel Airports Authority (route dispute)
Announced it would not restart Tel Aviv flights for winter 2025/26 — withdrawing about 1 million seats and 22 routes — after Ben Gurion Airport declined to confirm its summer 2026 slots or guarantee that low-cost Terminal 1 would stay open, saying it was "fed up having our low-fare flights repeatedly messed around by Ben Gurion Airport" after three forced Terminal 3 relocations in summer 2025. CEO Michael O'Leary said Ryanair might not return even after the war ends unless the airport stops "messing us around" — a commercial fees-and-slots dispute, not a boycott of Israel.

Frequently asked questions

Did Ryanair Holdings plc donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of cash donations, but Ryanair Holdings plc has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel, Public statement). 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 Ryanair Holdings plc. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2025-09-30

Companies with documented support