After nearly two weeks of restricted air travel due to the war, Israel is officially reopening its skies, with Ben Gurion Airport set to operate 24 hours a day. Minister of Transportation Miri Regev unveiled the country’s new flight framework on Tuesday, outlining the return of commercial air travel and the resumption of outbound and inbound flights to multiple destinations.
Under the new plan, Ben Gurion Airport will operate around the clock, the Haifa airport will function daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Ramon Airport in southern Israel is expected to resume service once it returns to the Transportation Ministry’s jurisdiction.
Regev noted that several international carriers — including Tus Airways, Blue Bird, Red Wings, FlyDubai, Etihad Airways, and a Chinese airline — have already requested to reinstate flights to Israel. However, she explained, “Most foreign airlines have already redeployed their planes for the summer season, which means many of the flights will be operated by the Israeli fleet.”
El Al Airlines announced Tuesday that, “Following the ceasefire that took effect today and subject to the expansion of the rescue flight framework, El Al is preparing to ramp up its flight schedule to and from Israel starting today. The airline is working to establish an airlift to bring passengers back to Israel, operating its fleet around the clock to add thousands of seats in the coming day.”
According to the airline, “Most El Al passengers are currently in one of the eight destinations where we have continued to operate flights. We will strengthen these routes while gradually expanding the destination list. Tonight (Tuesday), rescue flights from Budapest and Bucharest will also take off.”
El Al also stated that “once the passengers booked on rescue flights are accommodated, we will open the remaining seats for public booking. Note that we have fixed one-way inbound flight prices for non-El Al customers through the end of June. Flights from Los Angeles went on sale today via the El Al website and travel agents.”
Israir also confirmed that it is preparing to expand its flight operations, pending the continuation of the ceasefire and approval from the Transportation Ministry, Israel Airports Authority, and other relevant agencies.
“In the coming days, Israir will increase the number of flights and destinations, subject to required approvals,” the airline said. Planned upcoming destinations include Athens, Larnaca, Varna, Tbilisi, Rome, London, Budapest, and Batumi.
“Israir remains committed to expanding its routes in order to safely bring all Israelis home,” the airline added. “Once approvals are granted, seats will be made available for purchase on our website. We urge travelers to check our site and social media for updates. We hope for quieter days ahead and a swift return to normalcy.”
{Matzav.com Israel}