Foreign carriers are once again suspending their flight operations to Tel Aviv, compounding the difficulties for thousands of Israelis currently stranded abroad and for others attempting to secure travel plans.
The majority of international airlines pulled out of Israel following Sunday’s missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi group, which landed on the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport. In retaliation, Israel launched a broad offensive targeting Houthi positions, including airstrikes on the port city of Hodeida, Sanaa’s airport, and other military infrastructure. With the security situation deteriorating, numerous airlines are pushing back their anticipated return, pointing to a prolonged absence of foreign carriers from Israeli airspace.
British Airways has now delayed its flights from London to Tel Aviv until at least June 14. Wizz Air announced it will not resume service until at least May 11. The Lufthansa Group — which encompasses SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines — has also extended its suspension until May 11, matching announcements from Air Baltic and Ryanair.
Air France has pulled its flights through May 13. Other carriers, including Air Europa and LOT Polish Airlines, have stopped flights to Israel through May 7. Air India and Iberia are not expected to resume operations until after May 8.
Delta Airlines, which offers direct service between New York’s JFK and Tel Aviv, has extended its pause through May 19. United Airlines has halted all travel to and from Israel through May 18.
“The outlook for inbound and outbound passenger traffic to and from Israel is facing significant challenges,” Yoni Waxman, deputy chairman of Ophir Tours, told The Times of Israel. “For Israeli travelers, this means longer layovers, higher prices, and fewer direct connections in the short term.”
“Inbound passenger traffic is also expected to decline temporarily, as global tour operators and individual travelers weigh safety concerns,” said Waxman.
Only a limited number of foreign carriers, such as flydubai, Emirates, and Jetblue Airways, are still flying to and from Ben Gurion Airport this week. While Ethiopian Airlines canceled some of its Israel flights, it is expected to resume service Thursday morning.
“Major international airlines are reassessing their operations, with some reducing frequencies or temporarily suspending flights,” said Waxman. “Others, like Air Seychelles, are rerouting via nearby hubs such as Larnaca, Cyprus, to keep routes viable.”
Many of these carriers had only recently reinstated flights to Israel after pulling out during the early stages of the war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its assault on southern Israel. United returned in March, Delta resumed flights on April 1, and British Airways restarted service on April 5.
Passenger volume at Ben Gurion has sharply declined, now averaging about 40,000 travelers per day — a notable drop from the 70,000 daily figure recorded at the end of April.
To fill the gap left by foreign airlines, Israeli carriers — including Arkia and Israir — have stepped in, increasing the number of flights from nearby cities like Athens and Larnaca, while placing fare caps on one-way tickets to aid in repatriation efforts. Seats, however, are being snapped up rapidly.
El Al, for its part, began offering one-way flights on Sunday from Larnaca to Tel Aviv for $99 and from Athens to Tel Aviv for $149.
The airline also implemented a price ceiling on one-way tickets from cities such as Rome, Barcelona, Paris, London Luton, and New York to Tel Aviv. According to El Al, 13,000 tickets have been sold under this capped pricing scheme in recent days.
{Matzav.com Israel}