Israir shelves plan for additional A320s at least until Gaza conflict subsides

Israeli leisure carrier Israir Group has suspended plans to introduce another pair of Airbus A320s next year, as a result of the Gaza conflict. The airline has been operating six A320s this year – two owned and four on long-term dry lease – and it tentatively agreed in August to dry-lease another pair. These twinjets were due to arrive in the second half of 2024, following a memorandum of understanding reached with a foreign company. But the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in early October has disrupted the airline’s operations. Israir Group states, in a Q3 briefing, that it has decided “not to advance” to a binding agreement following discussions with the lessor at the end of November. The airline intends to wait until the conflict ends, and reassess the market, before seeking a new dry-lease deal. Under an agreement reached last year the airline had also been wet-leasing three aircraft – an A320 and a pair of Boeing 737-800s – over the course of 2023. But it says these returned to their operator shortly after the conflict began because their foreign crews asked to leave Israel.<br/>