The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air announced that it will impose an additional fee for flights departing from Ben Gurion Airport.
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According to the company's website, “bookings made after 16 February 2024 for flights departing from Tel Aviv airport will exceptionally be subject to an additional airport charge due to the forced relocation of its flight operations to Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport, resulting in increased operating costs compared to Terminal 1.”
The surcharge will range between 12 to 20 shekels ($3.5-$5.5) per ticket, depending on the ticket price.
Like most airlines worldwide, Wizz Air grounded all flights to Ben Gurion Airport following the outbreak of the war and will resume its activities in the country next month, just before Passover, marking good news for Israeli travelers. The airline will operate three weekly flights to the following destinations: London, Rome, Krakow, Budapest, Bucharest and Sofia.
Terminal 1 made headlines last week after Irish low-cost giant Ryanair unexpectedly announced the cancellation of its flights to Israel, citing the continued closure of the terminal designated for low-cost flights.
The Israel Airports Authority said in response that the airline was aware that Terminal 1 was not operational when it announced its return to Israel.
"Since the outbreak of the war and due to a sharp decrease in activity at Ben Gurion Airport and security needs, Terminal 1 was closed. All international and domestic flights to Eilat were moved to Terminal 3," a statement read.
"Given the current passenger volume, there is no economic justification for operating two terminals. Terminal 1 will resume operations as passenger traffic increases. Flights departing from Terminal 3 are subject to the corresponding airport fees. All airlines, including Ryanair, were aware of this before resuming their operations."