Following the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, several airlines have announced plans to resume flights to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV).
The Lufthansa Group of airlines has announced its return to Tel Aviv starting 01FEB, with Austrian Airlines, SWISS, and Brussels Airlines rejoining the route. (As codeshare partner with LH, Air Canada is offering connecting flights to TLV via FRA).
Ryanair has stated its intention to resume flights by the summer, relying on European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) guidelines for safety assessments.
Air France plans to resume its Paris to Tel Aviv flights on 24JAN and to Beirut shortly thereafter,
KLM is taking a more cautious approach, keeping its Amsterdam-Tel Aviv service on hold until 29MAR.
British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Delta Air Lines have opted to cancel all flights to Israel through the end of March.
Wizz Air has been at the forefront of this return, with its European and Middle Eastern subsidiaries resuming flights from 13 destinations, including Athens, London, Budapest, and Abu Dhabi.
Aviation Week reports as of January 2025 approximately 702,000 departure seats will be available from Tel Aviv, reflecting a 35% decrease compared to January 2023, before the outbreak of conflict. Currently, 33 airlines operate from the airport, a significant drop from 65 carriers servicing the airport a year earlier.
The ceasefire will take effect on 19JAN, after months of conflict that disrupted air traffic to Israel. At the height of the hostilities, Tel Aviv lost up to 64% of its weekly traffic.
Simple Flying reports that flights to Tel Aviv are expected to increase by 12.7% month over month in February, signalling a gradual recovery.
