The past three years have posed an unprecedented challenge for the image of airlines operating in Israel. Repeated airspace closures, flight cancellations, rescue operations and the ongoing question of the return of foreign carriers have made aviation one of the most prominent industries in public discourse.
This year's brand ranking shows that Israelis examined not only the price of a ticket or the number of destinations, but also the degree of commitment that companies demonstrated to the local market during the crisis. Companies that stayed, returned quickly or provided solutions in times of emergency earned points in the minds of consumers, while companies that disappeared for extended periods paid a price for this.
Despite the frequent public criticism of El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE:ELAL), Israelis continue to prefer the carrier to any other alternative. The airline maintains first place in the industry by a significant margin from its rivals, proving once again that there is sometimes a significant gap between sympathy and trust.
A complex year in terms of El Al’s Image
However, while El Al remained in first place in the industry ranking, it fell from 61st to 82nd place in the overall ranking. In a complex year in terms of image, the company was at the center of public criticism over fares at a time when a large number of foreign airlines stopped flying to Israel. The Competition Authority announced a financial sanction of NIS 121 million on El Al, claiming that it charged excessive and unfair fares during the war.
The Authority is seeking to fine the company an additional NIS 110 million for allegedly abusing its position in the field of aircraft maintenance services. According to the Authority’s findings, Arkia was not granted access to El Al’s hangars at a time when it sought to perform maintenance on its aircraft. Despite all this, it appears that El Al’s brand strength remains particularly high.
The company continued to expand its operations with the launch of nine new destinations and later announced flights to Argentina, alongside significant expansion to the East. At the same time, it strengthened its customer club through the "El Al Young" club, within which frequent flyer points are retained until the age of 21, expanded benefits to the security forces and not just to reservists, and continued to establish messages identified with being Israeli and commitment to its customers, including giving priority to rescue operations. Alongside this, it is investing in upgrading the customer experience, in app development, in AI-based services and in a significant financial move to change the credit card partner from Isracard to ICC-CAL.
Arkia overtakes Israir
A change was recorded in second place in the ranking with Arkia leapfrogging Israir. Arkia stood out this year due to its expansion of its network of destinations to the East, with the announcements of flights to Vietnam, Japan and Thailand, alongside the launch of a new business class and a collaboration with chef Shahaf Shabtay. While Israir is also working to expand to long-haul destinations, Arkia has done so to further destinations and at a faster pace.
Arkia was the first Israeli airline to operate rescue flights via Taba after the airspace was closed during the war with Iran in March, and responded relatively quickly to events. While the company suffered for years from a problematic image and much criticism of its service, it seems that in the past year it has managed to score points due to availability and rapid response during the crisis.
At Israir, the main effort in the past year has focused on strengthening the customer club and expanding its activity to long-haul destinations. The company signed a deal to acquire 10% of the joint customer club of Isracard and Rami Levy, which will be operated under the Superfly brand. The new card is expected to allow the accumulation of benefits and their direct redemption on the company's flights and vacation packages. At the same time, Israir invested in developing AI and self-service solutions at Ben Gurion Airport, continued to prepare for the launch of scheduled flights to the US in August, and expanded its activities in the field of private aviation through the acquisition of the private jet rental company Jet Club.
Air Haifa provides an interesting story but remained outside the top ten in the aviation sector and entered the ranking in 12th place. The company does not often engage in flashy campaigns or extensive marketing moves, but it managed to establish a significant presence in a particularly challenging period. Air Haifa launched direct routes to the Greek islands of Mykonos and Karpathos, offered residents of the north a convenient and fast alternative to Ben Gurion Airport, participated in rescue efforts when necessary, and managed to adapt activities even during periods when Haifa airport was not fully operational. The fact that it reached 12th place so soon after starting operations two years ago shows that the public already knows the brand and attributes value to it.
Wizz Air remains the leading foreign airline
Wizz Air maintained fourth place in Israel’s aviation sector and its position as the strongest foreign airline brand in the ranking. This is after a year in which it was in talks to set up an operating base in Israel. Although the move did not ultimately materialize, the mere fact that the company was exploring it strengthened the feeling among consumers that this was a strategic market for it. The Ministry of Transport even saw it as a potential candidate for increasing competition in the local market, which contributed to media exposure and brand equity.
During the year, Wizz Air launched new routes to Bratislava and southern Italy, expanded its fleet of aircraft, invested €14 million in its customer service system and expanded the Wizz Link service to combine destinations in a single booking. Even if in practice fares are not always the cheapest, the brand is still perceived by many as representing the best of low-cost. This is also reflected in the overall ranking, in which the company climbed from 266th place last year to 256th place.
Among foreign airlines, the stability of Lufthansa, United and Delta is also notable, as they maintained their positions in the industry rankings. However, an examination of the overall ranking shows a certain erosion in their status, given the instability of services to Israel during times of emergency. Lufthansa fell to 267 from 260, United to 288 from 269, and Delta to 294 from 271.
Between the Gulf and Europe
In contrast, Ryanair dropped to tenth place in the aviation industry rankings, swapping places with flyDubai, which climbed to eighth place. During the war, Gulf airlines, led by FlyDubai and Etihad, demonstrated a relatively high commitment to the Israeli market. Even when they were forced to reduce operations, they quickly resumed services and quickly increased frequencies. For many passengers, these airlines contrasted with the prolonged absence of some of the European low-cost airlines. This trend is also reflected in the overall ranking. FlyDubai climbed from 313 to 296, while Ryanair fell from 278 to 322.
These figures indicate that at a time when stability and availability became a central consideration, the public rewarded companies that were perceived as committed to the local market and punished those that were absent from it for long periods. Due to the security and operational upheavals the industry has undergone in recent years, Israeli consumers reward not only price, but also continuous presence and the ability to remain by their side, even during times of uncertainty.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 19, 2026.
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