Israeli Aviation Services Law
Israel's Aviation Services Law gives passengers ₪1,530, ₪2,450 or ₪3,670 by distance when a flight is cancelled, or when departure is delayed or brought forward by more than eight hours. The airline must answer a written demand within twenty-one days.
Check your own flight against the Aviation Services Law →Who it covers
- Flights departing from Israel, and flights to Israel sold as part of the same booking, on any carrier.
- A flight from Tel Aviv to an EU airport operated by an EU carrier is covered by this law and by EU261 at the same time. Claim under whichever pays more.
- The law is widely known as the Tibi Law, after the member of the Knesset who moved it.
What it pays
| Distance or situation | Per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 2,000 km | ₪1,530 |
| 2,000–4,500 km | ₪2,450 |
| Over 4,500 km | ₪3,670 |
What triggers it
Delay or early departure
Compensation becomes payable when departure is delayed, or brought forward, by more than eight hours — a longer threshold than Europe's three.
Cancellation
Compensation is due where the cancellation was notified less than fourteen days before departure.
Denied boarding
Treated as a cancellation for the passenger refused carriage.
Duty of care — separate from compensation
Assistance services — food and drink, communications, and accommodation with transport where needed — start after two hours. From five hours you may instead demand your money back or a replacement ticket. These are separate from the compensation and are owed whatever the cause.
The refusals airlines send, and what answers them
“The delay was under the threshold”
The clock runs on the actual difference from the scheduled time. Ask for the scheduled and actual times in writing, and note that a cancellation notified within fourteen days carries compensation regardless of how long any delay lasted.
Silence past twenty-one days
The law requires a written answer within twenty-one days. Silence past that point is itself worth putting in your escalation letter, alongside a complaint to the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority.
A voucher instead of money
Compensation under this law is a monetary entitlement. You are not obliged to take credit with the airline in place of it.
Enforcement
The Civil Aviation Authority of Israel oversees the law, and the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority handles complaints against airlines. Small claims court is a realistic route in Israel for this size of claim and needs no lawyer.
How long you have
Seven years under Israeli limitation law — far longer than Europe. The twenty-one-day answer requirement runs from your written demand, not from the flight.
Primary sources
Read the law itself rather than anyone's summary of it, this one included. Every link below was checked on 12 September 2026.
- Full text of the law — Nevo legal database
- The law as published in the official statute book — Knesset (PDF)
- Aviation Services Law and its regulations — Civil Aviation Authority of Israel
The other statutes
- EU261 compensation — EU261
- UK261 compensation — UK261
- US flight delay rules — US DOT rules
- Canada APPR compensation — the APPR