Ryanair's announcement that it will soon be flying to Eilat - albeit from Hungary, Lithuania and Poland - has opened up a plethora of travel options for Israel-bound tourists.

But having fought off other companies for the routes, the budget airline this week faced a new commercial challenge when Israeli airlines announced they would install missile defence systems on planes flying to and from the city.

Eilat is just a few kilometres from the Sinai region of Egypt, where terrorist groups operate freely and occasionally launch rockets over the border at Israel.

Despite this threat, Ryanair said this week it had no plans to modify any of its planes on its three new routes to the Holy Land.

Israeli aircraft flying to Eilat are being fitted with Skyshield, an anti-missile sensory system that is attached to the fuselage of the plane.

The system can detect, identify and finally alter the trajectory of any rocket heading toward the aircraft.

But while Israeli airlines appear to be taking no chances, Ryanair said it did not share their worries. A spokesperson for the airline said: "Ryanair prides itself on an unblemished 30-year safety record, and looks forward to growing Israeli tourism, traffic and jobs."