The incident caused confusion in the aviation industry and among Israeli officials. According to Israeli media, the Slovenian side did not allow the plane to land at the capital’s airport, despite the pre-agreed route.
According to reports, the aircraft flew to Ljubljana airport, but air traffic controllers refused to grant it permission to land.
The “Israir Airlines” plane was forced to divert the flight to a neighboring Croatian airport. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs called this incident “completely unacceptable.”
The head of the company “Israir,” Uri Sirkis, called it “a clear violation of European Union aviation agreements.” According to him, Slovenian authorities refused to do so “because they politically strongly oppose the position of the Israeli government.”
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Administration tried to resolve this issue but were unsuccessful.
In a released statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that “Israel explained to the Slovenian authorities that this is a completely unacceptable decision.”
The ministry noted that Slovenia is currently forming a new government “instead of the outgoing, hostile government, and Israel hopes for significantly improved relations between the countries.”
Transport Minister Miri Regev said in a statement that this is an “illegal political decision that directly affects Israeli citizens.”
“Anyone who tries to boycott us through aviation must understand that there will be consequences,” she said.
M. Regev emphasized that Israel will use “all available means” to resolve this issue.
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The company “Israir” operates three regular flights per week to Ljubljana, and other airlines do not offer similar direct flights. It is unclear from media reports when Slovenia decided to no longer accept Israeli planes and why the airline planned the flight if it knew about Slovenia’s hostile policy.
This incident occurred against the backdrop of complicated relations between Israel and several European countries that criticize the actions of the Israeli leadership in the Middle East. An additional factor is the domestic political changes in Slovenia itself, where a new government formation process is underway.
Israel emphasizes that political disputes should not affect flight safety and civil aviation activities, and the Slovenian side has not yet officially commented on the details of the incident.
Two poles
Last month, the Slovenian parliament voted for former nationalist Prime Minister Janez Janša to become the country’s prime minister again.
J. Janša is known as a supporter of US President Donald Trump and Israel. He formed a coalition agreement for a new government after the outgoing liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob failed to reach an agreement following the parliamentary elections in March.
R. Golob’s government recognized the State of Palestine in May 2024 and is one of the few EU countries stating that Israel’s war against the “Hamas” terrorist group in the Gaza Strip was a “genocide” – a claim Israel strongly rejected.
Slovenian public broadcaster RTV was the first in Europe to demand Israel’s removal from the 2025 “Eurovision” song contest and boycotted the 2026 contest, citing the ongoing war in Gaza.
Slovenia also became the first EU country to impose a ban last September on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entering the country.
Meanwhile, J. Janša previously said that if he returns to power, he will move Slovenia’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and revoke the recognition of Palestine.
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