Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, CEO of El Al Airlines, plans to step down by the end of 2025, Israel’s flag carrier announced on Sunday.
The move comes amid record-breaking profits over the past two years, during which it often operated as a virtual monopoly. It also follows a nearly $600 million lawsuit alleging price gouging.
“Ben Tal Ganancia stressed that, given the complexity and sensitivity of El Al, it is important for her to enable a broad search process and an orderly changeover, and to this end, she has chosen to announce her plans now,” El Al said in a statement.
“Since her appointment in the midst of the covid crisis, Ben Tal Ganancia has led a process to regulate labor relations through new agreements that have made El Al a flexible and highly productive company, signed strategic supply agreements for the purchase of advanced aircraft, and expanded the route network while consistently improving the customer experience.”
Mark Feldman, CEO of Ziontours, told JNS on Monday that “leaving on a high note makes sense” for Ben Tal Ganancia. “Whoever is advising her knows she will find an excellent job, probably in finance.”
El Al’s net profit last year surged nearly fivefold, reaching a record of approximately $545 million.
El Al’s chief executive officer, who held the airline’s top position for over three years after nearly two decades in senior roles with the company, received total compensation of approximately $1.8 million in 2024—an increase of more than 10% year-on-year, according to data cited in the class action lawsuit.
The airline has denied the price gouging allegations and, in a move widely seen as an effort to placate Israeli public anger over last year’s high fares, capped return ticket prices to Israel during last month’s 12-day war with Iran.
With regional tensions easing and foreign carriers returning to Israeli skies, El Al is set to face a changed landscape and renewed competition in the coming weeks.
