The Magistrates Court in Rehovot ruled El Al must pay 91,800 NIS in compensation to 36 passengers.
The passengers were scheduled to board a flight from Moscow to Israel, but was canceled after the passengers had already boarded the plane. It left Moscow 17 hours later.
The passengers sued, but El Al avoided compensating them, claiming the delay had been caused by a "rare technical issue" related to Moscow airport security.
According to the law, a delayed flight of under 4,500 kilometers entitles passengers to compensation of 2,050 NIS. The law exempts flights from this payment in case of flight cancellation or delays caused by "special situations."
Judge Menachem Mizrahi said, "In general, there is no technical issue which cannot be solved or made workable. It's all a question of price, financial gain, planning, and having the right technical staff which can solve problems within a reasonable amount of time.
"Operating aircraft means aircraft will wear out and technical issues will occur. The defendant should have expected this to happen, and had spare parts ready. They should have hired appropriate professionals and bought the appropriate equipment... I am not convinced that this technical issue was so impressive and rare, that the defendant could not have properly prepared for it."