In short: the Aviation Services Law (Compensation and Assistance for Flight Cancellation or Change of Conditions), 5772-2012 applies to flights taking off from or flying to Israel. A delay of 2 hours gives food, drink and communication; 5 to under 8 hours adds a refund or replacement ticket; a delay of 8 hours or more counts as a cancellation, which also carries fixed compensation in shekels by distance – unless the airline proves an exemption such as circumstances beyond its control, a strike or Sabbath observance. The amounts are index-linked every 1 January; we could not verify the current figures from an official source.
Which flights are covered
The law defines a "flight" as one taking off from within Israel or flying to Israel, including a flight with a stopover (section 1). The duties fall on the flight operator – the operator of the aircraft carrying passengers for payment from, to or within Israel – and on charter organisers; the airline that actually provides the service is treated as acting for the party you contracted with (section 4). Domestic flights within Israel are covered too, but compensation for them depends on regulations made by the Minister (section 18).
To benefit you need a ticket and must present yourself at check-in on time – at the time you were given, but no more than 3 hours before departure, or at least 90 minutes before if no time was set (section 2). You are not entitled if you were moved to another flight and still arrived at the original time, or if your ticket was free or at a non-public fare – frequent-flyer tickets are covered.
Delays: 2, 5 and 8 hours
| Take-off delay (against the time on the ticket) | What you get | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours or more | Food and drink according to the waiting time; two phone calls and a fax or e-mail | 7(a) |
| 5 hours to under 8 hours | Also your choice of a refund or a replacement ticket; if the replacement leaves the next day, hotel and transport | 7(b) |
| 8 hours or more | Treated as a cancelled flight: assistance, refund or replacement ticket, and fixed compensation unless an exemption applies | 1, 6 |
Note that the Israeli thresholds count the delay in take-off, not in arrival. If a 5-to-8-hour delay is caused by a strike or a protected go-slow, you get only a refund plus food, drink and communication. The Minister may move the 8-hour threshold up or down by up to 4 hours (section 6(h)); we did not find whether this has been done.
Cancellations
If your flight is cancelled (including a delay of 8 hours or more), the airline must give you assistance, a refund or replacement ticket at your choice, and the fixed compensation in the law's First Schedule (section 6(a)). The compensation is not due if the airline proves that you were told:
- at least 14 days before the flight; or
- 7 to 14 days before, and offered an alternative leaving no more than 2 hours earlier and arriving no more than 4 hours later; or
- with shorter notice, and offered an alternative leaving no more than 1 hour earlier and arriving no more than 2 hours later (section 6(c)).
It is also not due if the airline proves the cancellation was caused by special circumstances beyond its control that it could not have prevented, by a strike or protected work-to-rule, or was made to avoid desecration of the Sabbath or a Jewish holiday (section 6(e)). The strike exemption is wider than under UK261 and EU261, where a strike by the airline's own staff normally does not excuse it (strikes). If you accept a replacement ticket, the compensation may be halved when you arrive no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late, depending on distance (section 6(b)).
Compensation amounts
The First Schedule of the law as passed in 2012 set compensation by flight distance (great-circle, section 12):
| Flight distance | 2012 base amount |
|---|---|
| Up to 2,000 km | NIS 1,280 |
| 2,000–4,500 km | NIS 2,050 |
| Over 4,500 km | NIS 3,080 |
These are not today's amounts. Section 13 updates every amount in the law on 1 January each year in line with the Consumer Price Index (base: January 2012), rounded to the nearest NIS 10, and the Ministry of Transport publishes the updated figures. We could not open an official notice of the current amounts, so ask the airline or check the Ministry of Transport's website. The distance bands (2,000 and 4,500 km) differ from the European ones (1,500 and 3,500 km). For reference, London to Tel Aviv is in the 2,000–4,500 km band.
Bumping, early departures and downgrades
- Denied boarding (section 5): the airline must first look for volunteers. If you are refused against your will, you get assistance, the First Schedule compensation and a refund or replacement ticket. Compensation may be halved if you accept a replacement that arrives within 4, 5 or 6 hours by distance. Refusals for security, health, safety or document reasons are excluded – but a passenger refused for security reasons who arrived 3 hours early, cooperated with the check and was cleared to fly still gets compensation.
- Flight brought forward (section 8), with less than 14 days' notice: more than 5 and up to 8 hours earlier gives a refund or replacement; more than 8 hours earlier also gives compensation.
- Downgrade (section 9): compensation calculated as a percentage of the ticket price, set in the Second Schedule. Upgrades cannot be charged.
- Exemplary damages (section 11): a court may award up to NIS 10,000 (2012 figure, also index-linked) without proof of damage if the airline knowingly failed to provide the benefits.
- Rights cannot be contracted out of, except in the passenger's favour (section 17), and the law does not limit your rights under other laws (section 16).
Payment deadlines and time limits
The airline must pay compensation within 45 days of your written application and refund the ticket within 21 days (section 3). Compensation is paid in cash, by bank transfer or cheque, and in other forms only with your express written agreement. The limitation period is four years from the date the cause of action arose (section 19). Your travel agent, if you booked through one, must help you claim if you ask (section 15).
How the Israeli law interacts with UK261 and EU261
UK261 covers flights departing the UK on any airline and flights into the UK on UK or EU airlines; EU261 does the same for the EU. The Israeli law covers flights in both directions on any airline.
| Flight | UK261 / EU261 | Israeli law |
|---|---|---|
| Tel Aviv–London on El Al | No – non-UK/EU airline into the UK | Yes |
| London–Tel Aviv on El Al | UK261 – departs the UK | Yes |
| Tel Aviv–London on British Airways or easyJet | UK261 – UK airline into the UK | Yes |
| Tel Aviv–Paris on Air France | EU261 – EU airline into the EU | Yes |
| Tel Aviv–Rome on El Al | No | Yes |
Where both apply, you should not expect to be paid twice. Section 20 of the Israeli law says a passenger who has received a benefit under foreign law for the same circumstances is not entitled to the same sort of benefit under the Israeli law, and UK261/EU261 exclude passengers on inbound flights who received compensation and assistance in the non-European country. The tests differ: under UK261 the 3-hour threshold is measured at arrival and technical faults normally do not excuse the airline, while the Israeli law's fixed compensation for delay starts only at 8 hours. For most delays between 3 and 8 hours, UK261 or EU261 – where it applies – is the scheme that pays. Israel is also a party to the Montreal Convention.
How to claim
- Write to the airline (or ask your travel agent to do so), citing the Aviation Services Law and the sections above; keep proof of the date you applied, since the 45-day and 21-day payment periods run from it.
- Airlines operating to Israel must appoint a person at the airport to help passengers claim their rights, present from 3 hours before to 30 minutes after departure – including at foreign airports for passengers on return tickets to and from Israel (amendment to the Aviation Services Licensing Law in section 23). Ask for them at the airport.
- Court: the law is enforced mainly through civil claims, with exemplary damages for knowing breaches.
- For a UK261 claim on the same flight, see how to claim.
What we could not verify
- Current compensation amounts. Airlines' own notices quote higher, index-linked figures, but we could not confirm them from a Ministry of Transport or Knesset source, so we give only the 2012 base amounts.
- Later amendments. We read an English translation of the law as passed in 2012. News reports describe a 2024 amendment limiting compensation for flights cancelled during the war period at the end of 2023, and other changes may exist. We have not been able to check the current consolidated Hebrew text.
- Regulator complaints. We did not find an official administrative complaints route equivalent to the UK CAA; check the Israeli Ministry of Transport or Civil Aviation Authority.
Frequently asked questions
Is a long delay a cancellation under Israeli law?
Yes. The Aviation Services Law defines a cancelled flight to include one that took off at least eight hours late. Such a flight gives the same rights as a cancellation, including fixed compensation unless an exemption applies. Delays of 2 hours give food, drink and communication; 5 to under 8 hours add the choice of a refund or replacement ticket.
Does UK261 cover El Al flights from Tel Aviv to London?
No. UK261 covers flights into the UK only when a UK or EU airline operates them. Israel's Aviation Services Law does cover that flight, because it applies to flights taking off from or flying to Israel. London to Tel Aviv on any airline is covered by UK261.
How long do I have to claim under the Israeli law?
The law sets a limitation period of four years from the date the cause of action arose (section 19), as passed in 2012.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. We rely on an English translation of the Hebrew law. We are an independent guide and an affiliate partner of AirHelp – see our affiliate disclosure.
Sources
- Aviation Services Law (Compensation and Assistance for Flight Cancellation or Change of Conditions), 5772-2012 – English translation – El Al Israel Airlines (translation of the law)
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – UK version, Article 3 (scope) – legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – Article 3 (scope) – EUR-Lex
- Montreal Convention 1999 – list of parties – ICAO
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