El Al is set to launch cheap, no-frills fares for some of its European flights.

From November, Israel’s national airline will face competition from easyJet, Europe’s leading low-cost airline, which is to launch a route between London and Tel Aviv.

El Al is to test the no-frills market with low-cost seats on flights between Tel Aviv and Rome. A spokesman for the airline in London said there were no plans “at present” to introduce the cheap flights to London.

“We are starting the cheap flights as an experiment on the Tel Aviv-Rome route in September,” he said.

“Initially, the targeted audience is Israeli, with the product designed for traffic originating in Israel.”