Israel’s Competition Authority said on Sunday it planned to levy a fine of 121 million shekels ($39 million) on flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines for setting excessive and unfair airfares during Israel’s Gaza war. The fine is the maximum allowed by law.
The antitrust body said it reviewed the period from October 7, 2023, through May 2024 and found that El Al operated as a monopoly on 38 of the 53 routes it operated, including to New York, London, Paris, Bangkok and other cities in the United States, Europe and Asia. It found that ticket prices rose by an average of 16% – and as much as 31% – noting that since most foreign carriers had halted flights, the airline “held market power”. El Al said it “categorically rejects” the claim that it charged excessive prices during the war.
