Israel Antitrust Authority declared El Al a monopoly in providing security services

This decision brings to an end a long dispute caused by El Al over the provision of security personnel for all Israeli airline flights to Israel.
 
Israel Antitrust Authority (IAA) declared last week El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. a monopoly in providing airline security services to the other two Israeli airlines, Arkia Israeli Airlines Ltd and Israir Airlines.
 
This decision brings to an end a long dispute caused by El Al over the provision of security personnel for all Israeli airline flights to Israel.
 
El Al wanted to cease being the "contractor" for security services for the other airlines, but was forced to do it by the Government until an alternative was found. El Al was assigned to supply the security for all the Israeli airlines when it was a state-owned company.
 
Sources familiar with the situation say the monopoly declaration will put strict control on the prices El Al charges for the security services it supplies to Arkia and Israir. The Israeli transportation ministry planned to solve the problem by establishing an aviation security authority, but opposition from the ministry of finance and lack of backing from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have buried the initiative.
 
Israel Katz, the Israeli transport minister, announced last year that he had prepared a proposal to establish a national authority for air transport security. Katz said the new Authority would have the responsibility for the security of Israeli air transport domestically and overseas. "The situation in which a private company is responsible for the security of flights of other airlines and competitors is illogical".