Sharp increase in air activity at Haifa Airport • April 2025 marks a significant recovery
(live here) – A report published in May 2025 by the Airports Authority indicates an impressive upward trend in air activity at Haifa Airport during April 2025, both on domestic and international flights.
In April 2025, 7,955 passengers were registered on domestic flights at Haifa Airport, an increase of 172.06% compared to April 2024, when only 2,924 passengers passed through the airport.
There was also an increase of 29.44% in aircraft traffic, with 1,684 takeoffs and landings compared to only 1,301 in the same month last year.
Increase in passenger and aircraft traffic
In the annual aggregate (January–April 2025):
- 28,185 passengers passed through Haifa Port on domestic flights, an increase of 144.68% compared to the corresponding period in 2024, when 11,519 passengers passed through.
- The cumulative number of aircraft was 6,180, an increase of 21.15% compared to 5,101 last year.
International activity: Hundreds of passengers – a new figure at the port
April 2025 also marked the official start of international operations from Haifa. For the first time, significant passenger traffic was recorded on international flights, 13,885 passengers in April. International aircraft traffic amounted to 364 takeoffs and landings.
In the annual aggregate (January–April 2025):
39,377 passengers passed through Haifa Port on international flights, an increase of 2,356.46% compared to the same period in 2024 when 1,603 passed through. The cumulative number of aircraft was 1,43, an increase of 158.60% compared to 442 last year.
Air Haifa, which began operations this year, is at the center of the impressive surge in passenger traffic at Haifa Airport – both on domestic and international flights. Of all domestic passengers in April, 4,744 flew with Air Haifa, and 83 of its aircraft took off and landed on domestic flights that month. The company's presence is also felt on the international scene, with passenger traffic on international flights in April standing at 13,358, alongside 226 international takeoffs recorded that month.
Haifa Airport is recording a significant leap in its activity, after years of poor activity and even cessation of activity. The data reinforces the development trend of air transportation in the north of the country, and may form the basis for expanding routes and adding additional destinations both in Israel and abroad.
If the trend continues, we may see Haifa return to the status of a significant player on the national aviation map, not only as a regional gateway, but also as a convenient alternative for travelers from the north of the country.
Thanks to Mayor Einat Kalish who founded the idea
I really like the airport in Haifa. We flew to Larnaca in the morning and returned in the evening after a good meal at a fish restaurant. It was worth it.
What are the other destinations for the country?
Maybe Albania, or something else in the region?
First of all, we expect many passengers to arrive, pay, and fly with a fleet of planes that does not exist, with an undeveloped passenger terminal and a limited runway. And then the bureaucracy starts working. Is it worth investing? Or is it not worth it? A little politics is missing in the north. Operate airports in a respectable manner and passengers will arrive in droves!
It is requested that the field be extended and all the obstacles that interfere be placed under the runway, a common thing at airports, see Athens and Amsterdam. As soon as the runway is extended to 2.5 km, it will be possible to say that this will become a very significant field. I do not understand why this is not being done. The work can be done within a year. Come on, Yehuda
They want the US too, enough.
When is Crete?
The decisive moment has come to expand the airport and enough with all the detractors who are plaguing the city. You have damaged everything good. Come on, let's move forward.
This is a PR announcement from Haifa Airport. These numbers are actually funny...
They measure the increase in the number of passengers from the zero point that was two years ago, but they don't tell us that at least 15% of the number of female passengers could fly at Haifa Airport every year, if they had already done what was decided and approved 3 years ago - extending the runway by 300 meters.
It will never be a complementary airport to Ben Gurion Airport, but the runway extension that was approved and has not yet been implemented would allow narrow-body passenger planes to land in Haifa and from there fly to destinations throughout Europe, as well as Dubai, and more, and also revive Ramon Airport in Haifa, which would become a connecting airport for flights to any destination in Asia, Africa, and Australia! But we lack understanding and professionalism in the relevant systems, and politics and/or foreign interests enter this vacuum and distort the planning and delay the implementation of what has already been decided.
An additional 300 meters will allow a single, albeit successful, model of the latest jetliner to take off and land without restriction – the Airbus A220 100. An aircraft with up to 125 seats in a single class that can fly to all the Persian Gulf countries and all of Europe. The other models of the A220, the Embraer models, and certainly the 737 and A320 in its various models need a longer runway.
We flew on Air Haifa to Cyprus, 8 people. We really liked the company. The service was wonderful. Everything was sweet and we even got water and a snack. The problem was that we took a trolley, we didn't take out luggage insurance, with the intention of putting it on the plane, and they didn't agree! On the pretext that it would affect the balance of the plane.
The hall is old, there is no normal cafe, only a buffet, and there was no seating at first. The hall must be enlarged.
Parking is free.
The reporter mistakenly stated that 83 of the company's planes took off and landed on domestic flights...
El Al, Arkia and IsraAir together do not have 83 aircraft…
Saudi Arabia is building the world's largest airport
13 square kilometers in size for 100 million passengers.
This is what the Erez entertainment area in northern Gaza should look like. A huge airport covering an area of 13 square kilometers with two separate terminals. And the additional airport in Haifa, drying up the sea for 2 km of runways in Haifa Bay and turning the entire existing port area into terminals and hangars with an autonomous train connection from the center of the bay to the airport.
Placing Israel with 3 airports in competition for connecting flights. Developing hotels on the Ashkelon-Ashdod and Haifa-Karyot routes for a destination of 5 million tourists at each airport.
Come on, think about the future!!
Much more accurate
What did they do in Hong Kong?
A. These are good numbers for an airport with only one company, with three small planes flying to only two destinations abroad – Cyprus and Athens.
B. As long as there is no international airport in northern Israel, this is an abuse of 3 million residents of the Haifa and northern districts and a deliberate harm to the northern economy and its ability to compete in the Dan bloc.
C. Passenger traffic is minimal compared to the potential and it is clear that an international airport would bring dozens of companies, including the 3 Israeli ones that do not operate there at all (El Al Arkia and IsraAir). The figures would immediately jump from 13,000 to 1,300,000 passengers per year. Do you understand the gap?!
We must insist on massive government investment in drying up the sea for an airport on the coastline with quiet takeoffs and landings from the sea. This is the only step that will catapult the Haifa metropolis forward. We are very stuck and all the countries around us are making huge investments in huge airports.
I heard from someone who experienced a flight to Cyprus great praise for the significantly short times, comfort, and ease. Great success.
Mathematically, the data doesn't work out strangely...
According to the month of April, close to 8000 passengers on almost 1700 flights, this works out to less than 10 passengers per flight…
Food for thought for the Haifa Municipality. Register a public company on the stock exchange. Collect investor funding. I know it sounds far-fetched, but otherwise nothing will be done about it. Waiting for government decisions is even more far-fetched. I believe in private initiative and stop flattering a failed government.