In a festive ceremony earlier this week, Free Free’s first store was inaugurated at Haifa airport by the Layam group of Teddy Sagi. The 200 square meter store will offer all taxes free of taxes available at Ben Gurion airport, but without the long lines to be paid.
The reopening of Haifa airport last December was good news for Israel’s travel industry and, especially, resident in the north. If in the past the airport only served airplanes to gas platforms, it is now open to international tourism.
The data of the Israel Airport Authority showed that 67,694 passengers passed through the Haifa airport on international flights in the first half of 2025. June was largely affected by the operation in Iran and July, August and the holidays are the high season. 21,953 Additional passengers used the airport for national flights.
The renewal of international tourism from the Haifa airport is due to the operations of Air Haifa, a new airline created by Nir Zuk. Previously, the airport had been abandoned virtue for years, wait for occasional operations in a short period of time such as that of the airline Chipriot tos.
Air Haifa operates flights to international destinations, including Larnaca and paphos in Cyprus and Athens and Rhodes in Greece, as well as national flights to Eilat. While Ben Gurion airport has a crowded duration of the maximum summer season, passengers at Haifa airport report a fast check-in that sometimes has only 15 minutes.
The vice president of Eshet Tours, Shirley Cohen Orkaby, explains: “The Haifa airport offers an excellent solution for a very significant region of the country and for northern residents. It is a small and efficient airport, the waiting time is short, there is no congestion and does not have to arrive three hours before the flight. The destinations that can be very popular between Israelis.
Does the additional airport reduce rates?
“Globes reviewed the Air Haifa website and discovered that there are almost no last -minute tickets for August, especially for return flights. The initial rates for Cyprus in August begin at $ 298 for a round trip ticket. The rates between destinations vary at $ 448, and in September the rates fall to $ 298.
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At Ben Gurion airport, last minute rates are much higher, but in September prices are much more attractive than at Haifa airport because or the much broader choice of destinations.
A great advantage at Haifa airport over Ben Gurion airport is parking at the airport, which is currently free. Althegh, the airport is not directly connected to a train railroad, can be reached through ferry from the Lev Hamifratz train station. For northern residents, travel costs to Ben Gurion airport can reach the amounts that justify choosing a more extent flight from Haifa, especially if it saves time and other expenses.
Air Haif will remain alone
Currently, Air Haifa has three ATR 72-600 aircraft. As part of the company’s expansion plan, a fourth plane will begin operations in early September and a fifth plane for the end of December. These are airplanes with a relatively small number of about 80 seats, and were chosen for a reason. Currently, the length of the track at the airport is too short for large airplanes operated by most airlines: 1,200 meters in total. However, if the track extends to 1,500 meters, it would be possible to operate flights from nearby destinations and the Greek islands, and if the track extends to 1,900 meters, it will be possible to fly to Europe.
According to the municipality of Haifa, the plan to extend the track at the airport has not abandoned the leg. The Israel Airport Authority is also working to extend the track in 300 meters, but even then, it is not enough for airplanes throughout the body. To implement the plan, budget investment and a new legal procedure are requested in the planning committees, a process that could take years.
There is capacity to operate additional flights
In its current form, the airport has the ability to operate additional flights, but its limitations in space and infrastructure make it less attractive to many airlines, which will not allow significant competition in the airport. In the planned future, Air Haifa, the only carrier who is expected to operate flights, and the company plans to expand its fleet of airplanes and add additional destination in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
In the past, the airport has already demonstrated its importance. Duration and after the operation of Iran, the division of flights between two airports, including the rescue operations in which Air Haifa also participated, contributed to the operational capacity of the aviation system in an emergency situation.
Posted by Globes, Israel Business News – Y.globes.co.il – on August 14, 2025.
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