The Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has asked to resume negotiations on establishing a hub in Israel, an Israel Transportation Ministry spokesman said Monday.
The request comes less than two months after Israel froze negotiations with the airline due to its delay in resuming service to Tel Aviv following the war with Iran.
The popular European budget airline, which was the largest foreign carrier operating in Israel by passenger volume before the war, had planned on opening a hub at Ben-Gurion International Airport by the spring, but such plans were delayed due to the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.
Wizz Air, which resumed service to Tel Aviv last month, had repeatedly delayed its return to Israel, angering Israeli transport officials, who had hoped it would resume service sooner than other carriers because of its plan to open a local hub.
The initiative by an international airline to create a hub, which has been met with fierce resistance from Israeli carriers fearful of losing customers, was intended to shake up the aviation market and dramatically reduce airfares.
