Israir Aims for 3 Million Passengers with Four New Summer Destinations

Israeli airline Israir is targeting 2027 as a year of significant growth, planning to expand its flight network to include over 41 international destinations across 24 countries, in addition to its regular route to Eilat. The airline will introduce four new destinations: Split, Croatia; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bologna, Italy; and Preveza, Greece.

This expansion is driven by Israir's ambitious goal of carrying more than 3 million passengers and generating approximately $1 billion in annual revenue by 2027. This target was previously set for the second half of 2026 and is supported by investments in a wide-body aircraft fleet, increased seat capacity, and the development of long-haul routes.

Split will enhance Israir's presence along the Adriatic coast, joining existing Balkan summer destinations. Sarajevo will establish a new direct route from Israel to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bologna will broaden the company's reach in Italy, where it already serves Rome, Catania, Bari, Verona, Naples, and Palermo. Preveza in northwestern Greece will be added to Israir's extensive Greek network, which includes Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Rhodes, Corfu, and Santorini.

Israir also plans to increase operations on existing routes to New York, London, Basel, Vilnius, Malaga, Zanzibar, Morocco, Dubai, and Baku, alongside flights to Budapest, Prague, Burgas, Varna, Tivat, Ljubljana, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Tbilisi, Batumi, Larnaca, and Paphos.

A major focus of the expansion is long-haul travel. Israir received FAA approval in August to operate commercial flights to the U.S., paving the way for its New York route. The airline has acquired two Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft for approximately $85 million and expanded its pilot staff. While New York is confirmed, potential routes to Tokyo and Miami are in earlier stages of approval.

The expansion plan follows a financially challenging first half of 2026 for Israir, which reported revenues of about $249.5 million, an 8.6% decrease from the previous year, and a loss exceeding $30 million. The company attributed these results partly to the ongoing war, fuel costs, and investments in establishing its North American operations. Despite these challenges, the company's order backlog reached approximately $299 million in August.

Israir aims to achieve its 3 million passenger target by integrating narrow-body aircraft for European and Mediterranean routes, two wide-body A330s for long-haul flights, aircraft leasing, and utilizing its group's tourism operations. This growth coincides with Ben Gurion Airport returning to high operational volumes, with approximately 2.65 million passengers in August and an expected 2.5 million in September. Greece, Cyprus, and Italy were among the most popular destinations for Israelis during the summer, areas where Israir will maintain a strong presence next summer.