Israel's privatisation body on Friday granted control of El Al Airlines ELAL.TA to religious student Eli Rozenberg, putting faith in the 27-year-old's plan to turn around the cash-strapped flag carrier. Rozenberg’s purchase of a controlling stake is opposed by the board of El Al, which alleges he is a frontman for his non-Israeli father. Rozenberg’s newly created Kanfei Nesharim Aviation bought $107m worth of shares in an offering last month that gave him a nearly 43% stake in Israel’s cash-strapped flag carrier. Kanfei Nesharim received a control permit for the airline from the Government Companies Authority on Friday, signed by senior government ministers, including defence minister Benny Gantz and finance minister Israel Katz, the company said. Reiterating past promises for a board shake-up, Kanfei Nesharim said it would “contact El Al immediately with the aim of replacing the company’s board of directors and allowing it to begin managing the company while setting priorities for recovery.” The airline’s board last week asked government ministers to reconsider giving Rozenberg control, arguing that he represents the interests of his father Kenny Rozenberg, chief executive of New York-based nursing home chain Centers Health Care.<br/>
unaligned
Israeli businessmen Rami Levy and Shalom Haim have submitted a NIS70m (approximately $20.4m) bid for purchasing Israeli airline company Israir Airlines. The offer is considered relatively low, and reflects the financial damages caused to Israir by the coronavirus pandemic. This may lead the current shareholder of Israir Airlines, IDB Group, to decline the offer and wait for the industry to recover and travel restrictions to ease up. The offer was submmited via BGI Investments, which Levy and Haim equally control. As part of the offer, BGI will acquire all shares of Israir Airlines for NIS70mi, while Israir, in turn, would cancel a NIS17m ($5m) debt that current shareholder, IDB Group, owes it. The current offer is perceived by some as a low starting bid, especially because Israir is considered to be in good momentum. While the company's revenues have been dramatically dropping since March, it remained operational the entire time, as opposed to Israeli airlines El Al and Arkia, which stopped all of their activity after the pandemic broke out.<br/>
Ryanair has lost its High Court challenge against travel measures introduced by the Government in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline claimed they amounted to a legal restriction on travel in and out of the country. The State disputed those claims, arguing the measures are merely advisory and not binding in nature. Mr Justice Garrett Simons ruled yesterday that the Government had not exceeded its executive powers and trespassed upon the legislative power in relation to the measures. Ryanair's action was against An Taoiseach, Ireland and the Attorney General, seeking various orders and declarations, including one setting aside the measures announced in late July. This included the advice not to travel outside of Ireland save for essential purposes. Ryanair also challenged the requirement for those returning to the State from countries not on the designated Green List to restrict their movements and self-isolate for 14 days. The State argued Ryanair had no legal basis to bring its challenge, that the courts could not intervene with this advice and that the airline's proceedings were moot or pointless.<br/>