Israeli International Travel Surges in September Amid Wet-Lease Debates
The Central Bureau of Statistics reported 1.23 million Israeli departures in September. Meanwhile, industry discussions focus on the heavy reliance of local airlines on foreign wet-leased aircraft during peak travel seasons.
The Central Bureau of Statistics has released data regarding international travel by Israeli citizens, showing a significant surge in departures during September. According to the findings, September recorded 1.23 million departures, compared to 1.05 million in the same month of the previous year. Most travelers departed by air, totaling 1.1 million, while 119,000 exited via land borders and 11,800 by sea.
Travel Trends and Statistics
For the broader period from January through September, cumulative departures reached 7.31 million, showing an increase from 7.11 million during the corresponding months of 2025. Out of the 1.23 million departures recorded in September, approximately 53,100 trips—representing 4.3%—were made by Israeli expatriates living abroad who returned for homeland visits.
Seasonally adjusted data for the July-September quarter reveals an average of 855,400 monthly air departures by Israelis, marking a substantial increase compared to the previous three-month period, which averaged 540,100 departures. Trend analysis indicates a monthly average growth rate of 6% over the last quarter.
Wet-Lease Aviation Concerns
Alongside the statistical release, recent aviation incidents, including a dramatic event involving a Fly Dubai flight, have sparked widespread public discussion regarding the security and operational safety of international travel. Israeli carriers such as Israir, Arkia, and El Al's subsidiary Sun D'Or heavily rely on wet-leasing aircraft to meet high demand.
Under the wet-lease system, an Israeli airline sells tickets under its own brand, but the aircraft and operational crew are provided by a foreign carrier. In many cases, pilots and the majority of cabin crew are non-Israeli, with only a Hebrew-speaking flight attendant maintaining local connection.
During peak seasons, Israir operates between 8 and 10 wet-leased aircraft from foreign partners such as Smartwings, SkyUp, Fly2Sky, and DAT. Sun D'Or maintains 4 to 6 wet-leased planes regularly, primarily utilizing Boeing 737 aircraft from the Lithuanian carrier KlasJet for destinations including Tbilisi, Warsaw, Krakow, Tivat, and various Greek islands. Arkia similarly operates an average of 4 to 5 wet-leased aircraft, bringing the total number of foreign-operated planes flying for Israeli companies to nearly 20 or more during peak periods.
