After months of suspensions due to heightened regional tensions, several major international airlines have begun reinstating flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Among the first to resume flights is Wizz Air, which already restarted operations on routes to Tel Aviv from cities such as Athens, Budapest, London, Milan and Vienna. The low-cost carrier has also resumed services from Budapest and London to Amman, Jordan.
Lufthansa Group, encompassing Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa and Swiss, has announced it will resume flights to Tel Aviv as of 1 February. At the same time, the group and its airlines are cautious about the resumption of services, ensuring constant monitoring of the development of the situation. “Safety is always our top priority. Brussels Airlines and the Lufthansa Group are continuing to monitor the situation in the region closely and will adjust the flight schedule if necessary,” Brussels Airlines said in a statement.
However, “The already decided suspension of Lufthansa Group flights to and from Tehran up to and including February 14 remains in place. Lufthansa Group Airlines will not fly to Beirut up to and including February 28,” the company clarified.
Meanwhile, Air France will reinstate its Paris-Tel Aviv route on 24 January and the service to Beirut on 31 January. Group partner KLM will however not restart flights at least until 29 March. Air France-KLM group subsidiary Transavia will resume flights to Tel Aviv on 27 January, but keep the halt on services to Beirut and Amman until spring. “The operations will resume on the basis of an assessment of the situation on the ground,” the group said in a statement.
Without providing any concrete details, Ryanair has also said it is ready to resume flights to Tel Aviv, with a full summer schedule (starting on 30 March), already prepared. Whether or not that date will be anticipated in light of competitors resuming operations sooner remains to be seen.
On the other hand, airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Cathay Pacific, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have indicated they are monitoring conditions before committing to operational changes. At the same time, American Airlines has previously announced their suspension would last until September 2025, while Virgin Atlantic Airways has said it would not be restarting services to Israel until October 2025. At the time of writing, there has been no news from the two airlines signalling a sooner return of services.