Hungarian Low-Cost Wizz Air Eyes Morocco Routes With New Israel Base

Doha – Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air plans to establish a base at Ben Gurion Airport and may add routes from Israel to Morocco, according to Israeli Channel 13. This development comes as most foreign airlines have halted operations to Tel Aviv following Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza carried out by Netanyahu’s government.

According to Channel 13, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev and Wizz Air’s CEO have reached an agreement for the airline to open a base in Israel. This move represents a “game-changing event” as Wizz Air operates a fleet of 230 aircraft, potentially leading to significant price reductions for flights.

While Irish low-cost airline Ryanair announced last week the cancellation of all its flights until August, Wizz Air reportedly sees business potential in the absence of foreign carriers in Israel due to Houthi threats and larger regional instability due to the genocide. The airline plans to increase its passenger capacity from Israel by at least threefold.

The expansion will include additional flights on existing European routes from Ben Gurion Airport and new destinations such as India, with Morocco also mentioned as a possibility. The agreement, expected to be signed in July, includes a condition from Minister Regev that Wizz Air operate domestic flights between Tel Aviv and Eilat.

This also follows the suspension of flights between Morocco and Israel since October 2023, when Israel launched its brutal military assault on Gaza. Despite Regev’s controversial visit to Morocco in February for a road safety conference, Israeli security officials dismissed reports about imminent resumption of direct flights.

An Israeli security source told Mako news that flights could not resume while Morocco remains under a Level 3 travel warning. “We will not take risks regarding the lives of Israelis,” the official claimed, citing what he called “anti-Israel” demonstrations across Morocco.

This stands in stark contrast to past reports showing an influx of Israeli tourists in recent years, with no reported incidents of anti-Jewish sentiment or attacks.

Prior to October 2023, several carriers operated direct flights between the two countries, including Royal Air Maroc, El Al, Israir, and Arkia, connecting Tel Aviv with Marrakech and Casablanca. Morocco had been gaining popularity among Israeli tourists, with approximately 70,000 Israelis visiting in 2022 and numbers climbing toward 200,000 in 2023 before the Gaza genocide.

Mounting challenges to Israeli aviation

Israel’s aviation sector currently faces serious challenges. Most foreign airlines suspended flights to Tel Aviv after a Houthi missile struck inside the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport on May 4. According to Israeli Channel 12, fewer than 25 airlines are still operating in Israel, compared to around 50 before the attack.

The situation has stranded thousands of Israelis abroad, forcing Minister Regev to hold emergency meetings with heads of Israeli carriers to discuss solutions. Daily passenger traffic at Ben Gurion Airport has dropped to around 40,000 people per day, down from approximately 70,000 at the end of April.

Foreign airlines are now demanding changes to Israel’s passenger compensation laws before resuming flights. A group of 20 foreign carriers has urged the Transportation Ministry to declare a special security situation and temporarily limit passenger compensation rights to make flight resumptions more feasible.

The airlines argue that Israel’s 2012 Aviation Services Law was never intended to cover prolonged periods of state-led aggression and siege like the ongoing assault on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023.

The Hamas attack was a response to the Hebrew state’s repeated violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque — and the broader context of occupation, displacement, and systemic injustice imposed on Palestinians since 1948 and even earlier.