When the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October last year, most international airlines suspended flights to Tel Aviv for an indefinite period. In January however, some carriers announced they would be returning to Israel, especially after the European Aviation Safety Agency said doing so would be safe.
American carriers on the other hand are more reluctant to return. A report from Cirium has recently revealed that American Airlines will not be restarting flights until 26 October, but the date is still subject to the development of the safety situation.
“We will continue working closely with our partner airlines to assist customers traveling between Israel and European cities with service to the US”, an airline spokesperson told Skift, explaining that connecting through London via British Airways is one of the options. Meanwhile, the carrier has updated its travel alert page, allowing passengers with tickets to, through or from Tel Aviv before 28 October to rebook their flights free of charge.
The only member of the Oneworld alliance that has announced its return to Tel Aviv is British Airways. However, the flights from London are carried out on a charter basis and on a smaller Airbus A321 aircraft than before the war. Moreover, the route will involve a stopover in Larnaca, Cyprus, for a complete crew change. Although the layover extends the flight from 5 hours to 6 and a half, it ensures that the same crew can handle the return flight, so they would not need to have their break in Israel.
United Airlines is rumoured to restart flights in the summer. For the same safety reasons as British Airways, United would also need to find a stopover destination to prevent its crew from staying in Israel more than the time it takes to disembark the plane and turn it around. United is believed to choose Athens as its haven for changing crews before continuing to Tel Aviv.
