Is an Israir flight delay covered by EU261 or by Israeli law?
Israir flight delay compensation pays €250 to €600 per passenger under EU261 when the flight left an EU or EEA airport and you arrived three or more hours late, or the airline cancelled with under fourteen days' notice. Flights out of Tel Aviv fall outside EU261, because Israir holds no EU licence. Israel's Aviation Services Law can still pay there.
Israir is an Israeli airline flying from Tel Aviv to Europe, and it does not hold an EU operating licence. That single fact splits your rights in two, and it is a thing passengers often get wrong.
- Leaving an EU or EEA airport on Israir — EU261 applies in full, whoever operates the flight.
- Arriving in Israel from Europe — EU261 still applies, because the flight departed the EU.
- Leaving Tel Aviv for Europe — EU261 does not apply, because Israir is not an EU carrier and the flight left a non-EU airport.
The outbound leg and the return leg of the same trip can therefore sit under different regimes. A delay on the way out may be worth €400 under EU261 while the identical delay coming home is not, and the answer changes with the direction rather than the airline.
What a delayed flight pays
Amounts are per passenger, not per booking. A delay of 3–4 hours over 3,500 km may be reduced by half under Article 7(2).
What does Israel's Aviation Services Law add for Israir passengers?
Israel's Aviation Services Law fills much of that gap. It applies to flights landing in Israel or departing from it, whoever operates them, and it gives assistance from two hours of delay and money from eight hours or on a cancellation.
So a Tel Aviv departure that EU261 cannot reach is often still claimable — under a different law, in shekels, on a different timetable. Our Aviation Services Law guide sets out the thresholds.
How much is an Israir delay or cancellation worth under EU261?
Under EU261 distance fixes the amount, never the fare:
| Route distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km, which covers most Tel Aviv–Europe flying | €400 |
| Beyond 3,500 km | €600 |
The airline owes the figure per passenger, so a family of four multiplies it. Three things trigger it: arriving three or more hours late at your final destination, a cancellation the airline announced with less than fourteen days' notice, or an oversold flight that leaves you at the gate.
What should you do at the airport when an Israir flight is late?
Ask for the reason in writing before you leave the airport, keep the boarding pass, and photograph the board. Then check the flight itself: the direction of travel decides which law applies, and the record settles that rather than argument.
How do you claim Israir flight delay compensation?
Start with the flight itself. Our free flight check reads the recorded departure and arrival times for your Israir flight and tells you which band it falls in, in about two minutes.
A Israir compensation claim turns on the arrival time and on the reason the airline gives, so read both before you write. The flight delay compensation guide sets out the bands, and the cancellation compensation guide covers Israir cancellation compensation for a flight that never operated. If the airline refuses, the case law summary sets out what the courts have accepted as an excuse and what they have thrown out.
Check what you're owed
What you need to claim
- Your flight number and date
- The airports you flew between
- Roughly how late you arrived
- Your booking reference, if you still have it
No boarding pass? We can usually work from the flight number and date alone.